Meadow of Ash Trees
by Voice of Opinion
Summary: Ashlynn, young 'princess' of the fire nation, embarks with her best friend Zuko on his quest to find the Avatar. However, she decides to join Aang's team instead, as he and his companions travel across the world to help him learn all the elements. OC / ?
1. Chapter 1

**Updated**: August 7, 2010.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most he vanished. _

_One hundred years passed, and still there was no sign of the Avatar's existence. Ever still, young Prince Zuko trekked on in search of the Avatar, wanting nothing more than to restore his honor. With him traveled his Uncle Iroh, a wise and elderly man who spent his time teaching Zuko the art of fire-bending. With him was also his lifelong companion, Ashlynn, a young girl who had dreams of freedom and peace._

* * *

_I am not afraid to keep on living,_

_I am not afraid to walk this world alone. _**– My Chemical Romance.**

**Chapter 1**: Famous Last Words

It was midday, the sun was visible, and yet she was still chilled. The cool air nipped at her ears, forcing goose-bumps to surface her skin instantly. Ashlynn stood at the edge of the mechanized boat and watched the water and ice saunter by. She sighed, sorrow and the desire for freedom clouding her emotions. For too many years she'd been dragged around by the fire nation. She wanted out. What use was she to them?

Nearby Prince Zuko paced back and forth, stressed and angry. The dark ponytail that sat atop his shaven head waved back and forth as he stomped about.

Ashlynn could tell he was impatient and becoming desperate for a sign of what he was searching for. Ashlynn ignored him for the moment, and forced herself to concentrate on the ice and water. It was then that she noticed an abnormal increase in the water's speed. There had been a disturbance nearby.

"Uncle, look!" Zuko cried vociferously. He jabbed a finger up at the sky, and his eyes lit up as a light reflected within his pupils.

Ashlynn looked up towards the sky in the direction Zuko had pointed. A thick beam of light had shot out into the highest clouds of the soft azure sky.

Zuko's uncle, Iroh, merely nodded and continued drinking his tea without commenting on the sudden occurrence. He stroked the thick tuft of aged hair that hung from his chin absent-mindedly. He neatly sat his porcelain teacup onto the table in front of him when he'd finished taking his fill of tea.

"My search is over... that **has** to be the Avatar!" Zuko turned back to stare acutely in his Uncle's direction. The gold in his eyes had turned almost fiery with desire and determination. The amount of obsession he fabricated was comparable to that of a bull when confronted with the color red.

"It could just be an ordinary light my nephew, don't get worked up over a possibility," said Iroh. He lifted his teapot delicately and poured the hot liquid into his cup, and smelled the sweet aroma it emitted, allowing the warm steam to caress his face.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes in annoyance as Zuko balled his hands into fists. Small flames erupted from the core, yet left his fists unharmed. Knowing Zuko as well as she did, she figured he was simply anxious to finally grasp what he'd been searching for. He was more afraid of failure, than anything.

"Head toward that light!" Zuko commanded with such ferocity that some of his fellow crew members flinched in fear. When the ship veered towards the light he began to pace about the boat again in a feeble attempt to remain calm.

Ashlynn gripped the rim of the boat tightly and forced herself to stare deeply into the sapphire waters below her.

* * *

Hours crawled by tediously as the ship sailed silently through the open waters. The sky gradually grew darker, and the water became steadier. The sun was low in the sky, turning the heavens into a mixture of calm pinks and oranges. There wasn't a single pearly cloud that dappled the atmosphere, and not a single bird interrupted the serenity that emanated through the area.

Ashlynn felt jaded after gazing at the lackluster element of water for so long, and had taken up leaning against a cold wall on the exterior of the ship. She listened intently to all the sounds about her. Iroh was slurping his tea eagerly, almost like he'd only just discovered it. Zuko stood at the rim of the ship and impatiently strummed his fingers on its edge. Several crew members were chattering incessantly nearby, though nothing they said could be discerned.

Iroh set his cup gently upon the wooden surface before him once more, and sighed with satisfaction. He ran his tongue over his wrinkled lips a few times until he had gathered the remaining taste of tea that lingered around his mouth. He looked up at his nephew, and frowned when he noticed that Zuko was still entirely rigid- save for his relentless finger tapping. "I think I'll head to bed now. Zuko, whether you are right or wrong, I think it best you do the same," Iroh forced out before he released a massive yawn.

"I **am** right," Zuko snapped. He whipped his head around to glare angrily at Iroh. His ebon hair spun around with him and whacked the side of his face, yet he didn't even blink in response. His head twitched to the side, and his ponytail instantly fell back into place.

"Your family has searched for the Avatar for a hundred years. No one's found him, Zuko! I would not get your hopes up," Iroh warned him coolly. He stood up and sauntered off towards the door that led to the interior of the ship. He opened the latch on the door, but was stopped by a fleeting comment from Zuko.

"Did their honor cling to the mere discovery of the Avatar ?"

Iroh simply shook his head, and disappeared behind the steely gray doors.

"I think I'll turn in for the night as well," Ashlynn stated simply. She hurriedly rushed after Iroh, wishing to end the awkward silence that clung to the air that separated her and Zuko. Much to her dismay, Zuko swiftly closed the distance between the two of them and grasped one of her snow-white arms roughly. His touch was warm, and left red markings in its wake. Ashlynn turned about to gaze up into his brilliant eyes, but he dared not force eye contact between the two of them

"Stay- just a bit longer," he pleaded under his breath. His warm breath was visible through the cold air, and it escaped through chapped lips. He kept his pale head turned away from Ashlynn, either out of shyness or pride.

Ashlynn sighed as she pondered his request. Typically, it was unlike him to beseech her company. Once upon a time, he wanted nothing more than to be in her presence- but in recent years all he cared about was the Avatar. With reluctance, she agreed to stay by his side.

* * *

Ashlynn awoke to the glimmer of the beams of light that shone down upon her ivory skin. She shielded her eyes with one hand as she attempted to adjust to the bright light. She retreated to the nearest formation of shade, where she worked her way into full consciousness.

The first thing she heard was Iroh's matured voice muttering something about fire-bending to Zuko. She paid no attention to them as she acknowledged the fact that she was cocooned in a thick, woolen blanket. Her fair skin, which was adjusted to the warmth that enveloped the country she used to live in, was shielded from the harsh cold of the South Pole. Her mind slowly began to drift off to the previous evening.

Zuko hadn't dared to utter a word to her after requesting her company. They stood together in unrefined silence. Yet, Ashlynn knew her presence was enough to keep the stress in his mind at bay- that her company was enough to keep him content. It had always been that way.

Currently, the golden sun hung at its highest point in the azure skies. The raw power of Fire Benders sat at its highest peak when the sun was, in turn, elevated at its peak. So, Zuko had taken advantage of the time of day, and had begun to train with his Uncle. He excelled at his ability to bend flames, but that hardly stopped him from improving. In addition, Iroh was always willing to teach him further.

* * *

Several hours creeped by slowly before a disturbance nearby made itself apparent. Zuko was the first to spot the fire navy signal that burst upwards off in the distance. There was no doubting that it was an older signal from a retired ship. Not only was Zuko's ship the only one in the South Pole, but it was discernable through the make of the flare.

Ashlynn ran to Zuko's side as he snatched a telescope from the nearest crew member. Ashlynn squinted as she tried to see what Zuko saw. His mouth hung open slightly as peered into the telescope, trying to find what he hoped, what he was sure was there.

"Wake my uncle, I've found the last air bender. And be quick about it! I see his hiding place." Zuko thrust the telescope back into the arms of the man he'd originally robbed it from.

Ashlynn looked between the two of them, and tugged the telescope free of the man's newfound hold on it. She peered through it and was surprised to see one miniscule village far off in the distance. She pulled the telescope away from her face, and turned to look at Zuko. However, he'd already begun to walk towards the interior of the ship. Without an apology, she handed the soldier his telescope and ran after Zuko.

"They're an innocent tribe, Zuko. Don't harm any of them!" Ashlynn pleaded as she charged after Zuko. She let the iron door that marked the entrance of the interior of the ship slam shut behind them. She followed Zuko down the hallway as he stomped towards his quarters.

"They're holding the Avatar. I'll do what's necessary," he stated sternly. He didn't turn to face Ashlynn as he said this.

"Necessary? Do I have to follow you out there just to be sure you don't harm someone?" she fumed in response, wishing Zuko would take a moment to face her and talk like he was somewhat civilized.

"You'll only get in the way," Zuko smirked. Apparently, the idea of Ashlynn accompanying him was absurd and humorous, in his mind.

"Get in the way? That's never been a problem bef-"

"**Silence**!" Zuko interrupted her, sparks flying from his fists. Now, he chose to stop in his tracks, although he still chose not to face Ashlynn. Through gritted teeth he spoke once more before departing from the ship, "You will stay here, where it's safe, and you will do as you're told without argument."

Ashlynn watched with disbelief as Zuko turned and walked away from her. She shrieked with frustration, and it echoed through the interior of the ship. She knew Zuko could hear it, yet he still refused to listen to her. With a defiant 'hmph!', she marched back outside.

* * *

Only a few minutes had passed before the ship docked at the small, snow-built village. Over the years Ashlynn had grown used to the cries of the innocent and it was almost impossible to find fire nation folk who would show mercy. This was one reason she did not mind being with Iroh and Zuko. Iroh was wise and caring- traits that carried a great influence on Zuko. Ashlynn took comfort in knowing he would only threaten the villagers, as opposed to causing actual harm

Ashlynn walked to the edge of the boat, eager to see what events would transpire once Zuko departed from the ship. The prince and his soldiers had already set foot upon the snow by the time she surveyed the scene.

The small group of villagers stood in a tight and huddled group before Zuko. Only one village boy clad in sapphire-blue clothes and armed with a single spear put up a fight as Zuko demanded they give up the Avatar. It was a poor fight though; the boy wasn't exactly what could be considered a real threat.

Then, a different boy came forward. He wasn't like the other members of the tribe. Every member of the Southern Tribe wore the same navy-blue clothes, and wore the same snug moccasins. Most had brunette hair, and they formed a clump of blue-and-brown in the distance. The boy that had stepped forward stood out like a sore thumb. His clothes were mostly red, and he appeared to be entirely bald. All he carried with him was a single staff that stood taller than he.

Ashlynn knew that he was the Avatar. "A mere boy..." she whispered to herself, and smirked.

Quite unexpected, indeed.

Zuko and the Avatar began to converse after several moments. They weren't within earshot of Ashlynn, but she knew their conversation hadn't gone well when Zuko shot fire at him. Following the threat was a small battle between fire and air. The villagers cowered in panic and fright.

The Avatar paused to say something to Zuko. As far as Ashlynn could tell the Avatar had made a proposition. She could see that whatever he had said was agreed to, because after he'd finished talking the guards put him in chains and escorted him back towards the ship.

Ashlynn swiftly ran over to Zuko as he strode up onto his ship, followed closely by his soldiers. They kept the Avatar close to them, and Ashlynn eyed him curiously. She peeled her eyes off of him, finally, to ask, "So, what's the plan?"

"We're taking him to my father. We're finally going home," Zuko responded soberly, and for the first time in a long time he made eye contact with her. She saw hope flash through his eyes. Yet, her own heart sank. Though she'd lived with the Fire Nation all her life it wasn't exactly a place she could call home.

A command was made for the Avatar to be placed within the ship's prison, and his staff was to be brought to Zuko's room. He had some kind of notion that it would make an honorable gift for his father.

Ashlynn's curiosity got the better of her, and instead following Zuko like a loyal, respectable friend she followed the Avatar and the guards that were leading him to his prison on the ship. She ran right beside the boy, and walked with him. He smiled broadly at her, and his eyes shut as he did so. He seemed almost too friendly. Ashlynn could hardly believe that the Avatar looked no more than eleven, or twelve.

"I'm Aang!" The Avatar's grin remained plastered to his face as he introduced himself to Ashlynn.

She felt confused, and slightly taken-aback at his sociable exterior. She forced a quizzical half-smile at him and spluttered, "I'm Ashlynn."

Aang giggled, and finally looked away from her. His laugh was loud and obnoxious- exactly how a kid's laugh should've sounded. He stared up at the back of the helmet of the guard that walked in front of him. "I bet I could take you all down with my hands behind my back!" he boasted confidently.

With that, he blew a gust of air out before him, sending the guard in front of him flying towards the end of the tunnel. In addition, Aang was flung backwards into the soldier behind him. The back of that guard clashed with a wall, and he was momentarily dazed. Aang took the opportunity to stand up and run. Ashlynn did nothing to stop him.

However, she did run after him, despite his quick speed. By the time she was back on deck he was well out of sight. She did not bother looking for him though; she knew he'd gone to regain possession of his staff. In that room Zuko would be waiting for him.

Ashlynn growled with stress and ran after Zuko's quarters.

She didn't know what she was going to get out of chasing the Avatar. She didn't want to capture him, and she didn't want to help Zuko capture him. Yet she felt a strange impulse that forced her to follow him. Maybe it was because after years of nothing, no excitement, something had finally happened and she did not want to lose it. She ran these thoughts through her mind, and stopped playing them as she reached her destination. Her attempts had been proven too slow, however, for the door was already locked from the inside. She could hear the sounds of an angry Zuko and a defenseless air bender coming from its interior.

"Zuko!" Ashlynn shouted, and punched the metal door with a single fist. She kicked the door next, grunted, and ran back out to deck. She knew she had to help the Avatar. She knew what'd happen if Zuko killed him.

On deck Ashlynn didn't see either of them, but moments after her arrival on deck she was knocked to the floor as Zuko fell upon her from the sky. She groaned as the side of her face collided with cold mineral that made up the ship. Zuko was quick to lift his weight off of her, and she rolled over as soon as he did.

Nearby the Avatar had fallen as well. However, he'd regained possession of his staff. Aang was equally swift and gaining a standing posture once more, and he quickly opened two twin fans within a compartment in his staff. He thrust his staff outward, and sent a gust of wind at Zuko. At the same time, Zuko thrust several fireballs in Aang's direction. The two elements combined, and withered away instantly.

Zuko was persistent, however, and continued to thrust fire bolts at Aang. Aang would twirl his staff about, causing instant dispersion of Zuko's relentless attacks. Aang's reactions were beginning to slow, however, and it was only a matter of time before Zuko gained the upper hand.

Ashlynn stood up and ran after Zuko in desperation. "Zuko! Do you have any idea what could happen if you killed him? Leave him be!" Ashlynn attempted to shove Zuko as she yelled at him, but he quickly side-stepped away from her and thrust more fire at Aang.

"I'm not trying to kill him!" Zuko roared back at Ashlynn. He was furious that she'd interfered, and was livid from Aang deflecting every one of his attacks. When he gained a single second, he glanced over at Ashlynn and thrust his foot out at her. He struck her in the gut, and she plopped to the ground once more, stunned.

Ashlynn wrapped an arm about her waist and moaned in pain. She was shocked, and almost hurt that Zuko could turn his attacks on her, even for a single second. Zuko had shot her a single apologetic glance, but it wasn't enough to make up for the cramping in her gut. Aang, however, distracted her for the moment.

"Appa!" he shouted gleefully as he stared up at the heavens.

Zuko paused his attacks to perceive what Aang's random phrase could've meant. He followed Aang's gaze up at the sky.

Ashlynn did the same, and was surprised to see a massive, white beast headed right for the ship. If she didn't know any better, she would've said it was a sky-bison. Its fur was a creamy color, and it had a brown stripe across its back that formed an arrow at the top of its head. It had six legs, and released a deafening roar. How could it possibly be a sky-bison? They were extinct.

Zuko refused to stay distracted for long. He focused his attentions on the Avatar once more, and began to assault him with flame once more.

Again, Aang showed quick reflexes and fought off the sudden wave of flames. Yet he was not quick enough, and soon his staff was knocked clear from his hands, which bore strikingly blue arrows on the tops. Zuko shot off one last powerful blow of fire, which hit Aang square in the chest. He was knocked right off the ship and into the water. Zuko smirked, pride from his success taking over.

"Zuko! Are you insane? You don't think, do you? If you killed him he-" Ashlynn stopped when she noticed the water below begin to illuminate. The water emanated a brilliant white light that almost seemed to hum and vibrate the waters around it.

From above, Aang's name was being shouted by a fellow female who sat atop the would-be-sky-bison, one who was most likely from the water tribe.

The Avatar slowly ascended from the water. His tattoos, which were not only on the tops of his hands but could also be seen atop his bald head, and eyes glowed fiercely. A shield of water surrounded him, and as soon as he landed on deck he used it to his advantage. He shot the water out in all directions without hesitation.

Ashlynn screamed as she got hit with the blast, and was thrown to the floor along with the rest of the soldiers. The side of her face collided with the chilly metal once more, and she was almost certain her cheekbone would bruise. She coughed involuntarily as she gazed up at Aang, who had ceased his attacks.

The Avatar collapsed to the floor after another moment of his hovering. The glow that stretched out from his tattoos and eyes disappeared after a few seconds as well.

The flying animal, which was undoubtedly a flying bison, landed on the ship. Sure enough, a female from the water tribe dismounted the bison and ran over to the Avatar. She was followed by the same male that had single handedly tried to defend his village from Zuko's interrogation.

Ashlynn stood up and trotted over to the girl who held Aang in her arms. She was wary of the water tribe boy, who threatened Ashlynn with his choice of weapon- a boomerang. Yet, that didn't scare her so easily.

"Stop right there and don't you come any closer," he warned as he rose his weapon higher above his head. He was more than prepared to strike if that's what it took to protect the girl and the Avatar.

Ashlynn respectfully backed down, and even took a few steps back. She stared up at the boy, pleadingly, but he merely frowned at her in response. He licked his lips in anticipation, and took a single second to glance over at Aang and the girl.

"I dropped my staff," Aang muttered. He stretched a weak arm out in the direction where his staff lay, unscathed.

The water-tribe boy averted his gaze between Ashlynn and Aang a few times. He hesitantly lowered his boomerang, keeping a watchful eye on Ashlynn, and then swiftly ran after Aang's staff.

While he was distracted, Ashlynn scanned the ship for any sign of Zuko. She bit her lip, worriedly, as she noticed he wasn't anywhere to be seen. What if he was hurt? She looked back at the water-tribe girl, who was thoroughly distracted by Aang. She seemed to have a caring and understanding heart. Surely there'd be no hurt in trying…

"Please, miss, let me come away with you three," Ashlynn pleaded. She knelt down on her knees in hopes that she might not look nearly so threatening. She put her palms flat upon her thighs, and stared hopefully at the young girl. She did seem any older than Ashlynn was.

"Why? What makes you think we can trust you?" The girl's vibrant blue eyes bore into Ashlynn's. She pulled Aang closer to her, as if she was worried Ashlynn might try and attack him, even at a distance. Did the girl think Ashlynn could bend fire?

The water-tribe boy stepped in front of the girl defensively and stared ruthlessly down at Ashlynn. He held Aang's staff out in front of him, pointed at Ashlynn accusingly. "You! Leave my sister alone," he demanded fiercely.

So, they were siblings. Perfect.

Ashlynn shook her head disappointedly and stood up. She ignored the boy as he jabbed the air between them with Aang's staff. She turned around and saw that the fire nation soldiers had risen and were regaining strength as they marched to take back Aang.

"Stop! Let the Avatar go," Ashlynn directed. It couldn't hurt her to try and see if they'd listen to her.

"With all due respect Lady, but you do not command us," one soldier replied respectfully.

Ashlynn frowned at the sound of the formal name she'd gone by in the past. She'd been out of Fire Nation country for years, and still the soldiers and members that recognized her insisted upon calling her 'Lady'. If she was _Lady_ to them, then why didn't they listen to her orders?

The water-tribe girl, who was no longer clinging to Aang, stood up and held her arms out before her. Her wrists twisted about, and her fingers seemed to grasp the air before her. Water that had spilled onto the ship earlier rose into the air as she did this, and the soldiers began to seem uneasy.

"A water bender!" Ashlynn gasped in surprise. Water benders were rare, as far as she knew.

She moved out of the girl's way as she shot the water out at the soldiers. Her work was sloppy, but she didn't deserve to be judged harshly- after all, she was probably lacking experience and a real teacher. The soldiers were quickly covered in a thick ice that bound them to the ground.

The girl then helped Aang board his flying bison. The water-tribe boy followed behind the two of them. He didn't so much as glance back at Ashlynn or the Fire Nation soldiers.

Ashlynn ran up to the water bender and grasped her wrist tightly before she climbed up onto the sky-bison. "Please, let me join you!" Ashlynn begged as she gazed up at the young girl.

"No, you're fire nation," she said, yanking her wrist free. She glared angrily at Ashlynn, and it seemed as though for a moment she was going to kick Ashlynn to the ground. Yet, she didn't, and simply continued her way up onto the bison.

"I said leave her alone, Fire Nation scum!" the brother ordered, and struck Ashlynn in the stomach with Aang's staff. The blow, surprisingly, was a soft one.

"Wait, you guys! Let her come. Trust me on this- she's okay," Aang said, and smiled down wearily at Ashlynn from atop the bison.

The brother gaped up at Aang, shocked and speechless. He looked between his sister, Aang, and Ashlynn multiple times, waiting for someone to protest.

"Aang, she's from the Fire Nation. We can't bring her along!" the sister spat wretchedly, and hardly offered so much as a glance in Ashlynn's direction.

The water-tribe boy beamed up at his sister. "Finally, something that makes sense around here!" he articulated. He threw Aang's staff up at him, and Aang caught it in his delicate, tattooed hands. The brother started to clamber up onto the bison, but Aang stopped him.

"No! You guys don't understand- She's not dangerous," he declared, and he thrust his staff at the boy. It was more of a gesture than an attack, since he didn't touch the boy.

"Fine, Aang. Whatever you say," the boy exclaimed sarcastically. He knocked Aang's staff out of the way, and finished climbing up onto the bison. He seated himself in the back of the brown, leather saddle that was strapped to the beast, and said no more.

Aang smiled down at Ashlynn, and motioned for her to come and join them. She stared up at the two water-tribe siblings for permission, but they avoided her gaze entirely. She bit her lip, and looked back at the ship. The soldiers had begun to unfreeze one another with the warmth of their fire-bending abilities. It was now, or never. So, she gripped the thick, creamy fur of the sky-bison, Appa, and pulled herself up into the saddle. The water-tribe siblings moved away from her instantly. Yet, she was able to sit contentedly, even if she was unwelcomed by them.

The bison accelerated into the air, and began to fly away from the wreckage. Ashlynn turned back, and looked down at the ship. There, among the whole mess, she finally spotted Zuko. She gazed down at him sadly, and he looked back up at her. Even from a distance she could read his face. At first, he appeared to have a hard time recognizing her. She peered up at her from behind the raw, red skin of the scar that plagued the left side of his face. As sad as she was to leave him, she knew it was time she abandoned him.

She'd been his prisoner long enough.

**Author's Note**: This marks the first of my editing my Fanfiction. I apologize for when you, my readers, stumble across the point where my chapters haven't been recently updated. I promise, though, that I'll be editing all of them. I hope this chapter was easier to read, and flowed better than the previous chapter. Thanks for reading- stay tuned for more!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air. Long ago the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. One hundred years passed, and finally the Avatar was recovered. The fire nation prince nearly had him in complete captivity, but evidently failed nontheless. Prince Zuko's lifelong friend, Ashlynn, abandoned him to join the Avatar in his mission in mastering all four elements. Finally, her dreams of being free of the fire nation had come true._

It was close to evening before anyone said anything. Aang had his bison, Appa, land safely in a secluded area near a small lake. Katara began to unpack sleeping bags and other necessary travel belongings.

"Sorry... we don't really have a fourth bag," Katara apologized with a slight blush of guilt.

"Don't worry about it; I don't want to be a burden anyway. I can make do just fine!" Ashlynn said, with a smile of reassurance. Katara responded with a weak smile then turned to Aang.

"Why don't you go collect some fire wood... so we can keep warm... and Sokka, if you'll catch some fish I'd be more than happy to cook us some dinner," Katara nervously suggested.

Aang nodded, eager to help out, and ran off to the nearby woods to fetch what he'd been asked to accomplish. The other boy, Sokka, groaned with complaint. "Why can't she do the fishing? I need a break!"

"Alright, the both of you can go catch some fish. If you're not happy with it then I guess we won't be eating tonight," Katara sighed and then finished sharply, and walked off in the other direction. Sokka said nothing out of disbelief, then turned to Ashlynn, gave her a look of utter disgust, then stomped off to fetch some fish. Ashlynn groaned to herself, feeling uncomfortable with her given situation.

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Ashlynn caught up to Sokka several minutes later, who was sitting on a rock near the lake, with his knees brought up to his chest, and his chin resting on those knees.

"You can't do much fishing without the proper utensils," she shouted over to him as she closed the distance between the both of them. She held out a spear to him. Sokka lifted his head, and without looking at her, snagged the spear, and, rather rudely, hopped into the shallow water, ignoring her existence completely. Ashlynn frowned with confusion and turned her back on him and looked into the water in hopes of eyeing a fish or two. From behind she could hear Sokka stabbing at the water.

Ashlynn laughed quietly and said, "You know, I've never actually fished before."  
She turned to face the boy, who still had his back to her.

"Mind showing me how?"

Sokka stopped stabbing at the water and spoke. "Look, no offense and all, but you're fire nation. You're my enemy. We were born each other's enemy. Fishing with the fire nation isn't exactly my idea of fun. I don't even know what my sister and that kid were thinking bringing you along, but I'm going along with it."

When he finished he stabbed at the water again, striking a fish, which tainted the water around it a light red.

Ashlynn's heart sank. "I'm up for making amends when you are. Mind you, I'venever ever killed someone, nor have I ever helped kill someone, nor have I ever even enjoyed watching someone die! Just because I'm from the fire nation doesn't mean I **am** fire nation. Don't judge a book by its cover, Sokka." And with that she marched back to camp, angry and hurt.

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In the morning, Ashlynn awoke to Aang's obnoxiously overjoyed voice. He and Katara were exchanging opinions about the Southern Air Temple, which was the first visit of their journey. Ashlynn agreed whole-heartedly with what Katara was saying. Aang hadn't been home for one hundred years, and Ashlynn knew very well what the fire nation had done to the Southern Air Temple.  
However, she couldn't find it in her heart to break it to him. Aang was far too happy, she couldn't just up and ruin that.

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The flight to the Southern Air Temple was a tedious one. The group had to make sure that they were well out of sight, so they had to travel through the vast clouds in the sky. What came with traveling up so high in the air was lack of food. It seemed like decades since Ashlynn had consumed food, even though she'd eaten some poorly cooked fish the night before.

"Look at the mountain range! We're getting closer!" Aang exclaimed with such a burst of enthusiasm that Ashlynn actually jumped in surprise.  
Katara sighed, for she too knew what lie ahead. Ashlynn got the feeling that Katara couldn't tell Aang the hard truth, either.

"Oh come on Katara. The only way to get to an air temple is with a flying bison, and there's no way the fire nation got a hold of one of those!" Aang argued, completely convinced that there were still air nomads.

What he said was true, though. The fire nation had never captured an air bison. As far as Ashlynn knew, the fire nation simply killed them all without a second thought. It was amazing to her that Aang had such little knowledge of the machinery that existed in her time.

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Moments later Appa flew out of the clouds towards a tower not too distant from the group. The Southern Air Temple was positively magnificent, despite its ancient age.

Ashlynn stared out at it in awe, and complete silence. Katara made a comment on it, and Aang smiled, fully relieved to be back where he belonged. Ashlynn wondered to herself what ever became of Zuko. She had no idea that he was, at that moment, being interrogated by Commander Zhao about how the prince happened across the Avatar. Ashlynn stopped pondering about Zuko when Appa landed near the temple.

Everyone dismounted, and followed Aang as he eagerly led them towards his sanctuary. Aang pointed out the different areas he and his fellow friends used to play air-bender games, and where they would play with their bison. Ashlynn's heart sank with each moment, for each time Aang repeated a memory, the level of happiness in his mood dropped drastically.  
He was finally realizing how much things really had changed. To cheer him up, Sokka asked him to show him how air-ball was played. So, the two boys went off the the arena in which the game was played. Ashlynn and Katara hung back, unmotivated to do anything. "It's going to break his heart when he finds out that the fire nation ruined this place," Katara said.  
Ashlynn nodded as she watched Aang knock Sokka out of the ring for the fifth time. "I listened to the stories of how the fire nation took down the nomads of the temples. At least he doesn't have to endure listening to that painful monologue..."

"That's horrible... why were you even with the fire nation, if you don't like them, and can't fire bend?" Katara asked.

"Well... I've just... been there, for as long as I can remember. I don't even know my parents ... the farthest my memory takes me is mid-childhood, when I would play with Zuko. You see, his family cared and provided for me..."

"I see... wow that must be hard, not knowing where you came from, or who your real family is, and having to live with the fire nation ... and the king of the fire nation! Of all people!" Katara commented in disgust.

"You don't understand ... yeah, the king is a ruthless, mindless, power-hungry man. Zuko, however, is not. I'm so sorry that you'll never get to see the side of him I've always seen. You'll only ever see him as the enemy who wants to capture your friend," Ashlynn closed her eyes, and turned away from Katara.

"I don't see how you can talk about him that way," Katara spat. "He's no different from his father," she spat again, causing Ashlynn to flinch. Ashlynn merely sighed, and walked off to meet up with Sokka and Aang, who'd finished their game of air-ball.

"Aang ten, Sokka zero!" Aang laughed. Sokka frowned, but didn't argue or protest.

"Come on everybody, there's still so much to see!" Aang said, obviously having cheered up. He walked off, and the group followed him.

"Hey guys, I'd like you to meet somebody!" Aang said after a few minutes of walking uphill towards the tip of the temple. He ran forward to a statue of an old man. He was sitting in the position of someone who'd be meditating. He was, no doubt, a sculpture of a monk of the temple.

Despite the fact that he was just a statue of an old man, he looked so at peace and so welcoming. Ashlynn smiled slightly; glad to have seen the statue.

"Who is it?" Katara asked. "Monk Kiatso .. the greatest of all the air benders! He taught me everything I know!" Aang said, grinning up at the lifeless statue. Katara walked forward, and put her hand on his shoulder. "You must miss him, I'm sorry." Aang nodded and muttered "Yeah..." as he walked forward.

"Where are you going?" Katara questioned.

"The sanctuary ... there's someone I'm ready to meet."

Ashlynn stood back. She didn't want to enter the sanctuary of the temple. What if there were dead bodies inside? What if it was completely empty and she'd have to force herself into looking at Aang's disappointed, depressed face? She didn't think she could bear it, so she merely stayed outside.

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Ashlynn sat outside, alone, for several long moments. She replayed childhood memories of games her and Zuko used to play. These thoughts were interrupted as a lemur ran past her, followed by Aang, who was followed by Sokka. Ashlynn's eyes widened with surprise as the lemur and Aang hopped off the balcony. Sokka stopped near her to catch his breath.

"That's ... not .... fair. I can't do that without... killing myself!" he panted.

"What are you boys doing chasing that poor lemur?" Ashlynn said, cocking her head to the side in wonder. "Well Aang wants it for a pet. **I**, however... I want it for dinner! I'm starved!" he complained.

Ashlynn gasped. "You aren't any hungrier than I, and I wouldn't go to such lengths to eat food! That poor lemur, that's probably the last of it's kind!" Ashlynn exclaimed.

"I don't care, I'm so hungry..." Sokka drooled, and began to run down the top of the temple.

"Hey wait up!" Ashlynn said, getting up and running after him.

"Why?? It's **my** dinner!" he yelled back at her. "I just want to have some fun!" she shouted after him.

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After several moments of running the two of them entered a ruined tent. "Are you sure Aang went inside here?" Ashlynn whispered. Sokka nodded. "Hey Aang did you find my dinner?" Sokka called out, and walked through some curtains into the room where Aang was. Ashlynn gasped, and clasped her hand over her mouth afterwards, unable to speak.

"Oh no ..." Sokka whispered. Before the two of them was Aang, on the floor, crying. Before him, were the helmets of fire nation soldiers, and the dead body of Monk Kiatso. Ashlynn's eyes watered as she took in the full impact of the view. She'd expected this, but at the same time she was still surprised.

Then, Aang began to glow. The arrows tattooed across his body turned a luminous color, and the air around him began to form something similar to a tornado. Ashlynn grabbed Sokka's wrist and tugged on him.

"We need to get out of here!" she shouted over the loud gusts of wind. She pulled at him and he followed her as she ran out of the room and bumped into Katara.

"What happened?" Katara asked, raising her voice to match the loud blare of the blasting winds.

"Aang found Monk Kiatso's dead body and now he's acting upon his emotions," Sokka shouted back at his sister. "It's his Avatar state, Katara. He needs to be brought out of it or he'll ruin the whole temple and throw us off the side of this mountain!" Ashlynn said.

Katara nodded. "I'll see if I can bring him out of it," she declared and marched towards Aang. Ashlynn and Sokka took up hiding behind a fairly sturdy stone that was able to repel the strong wind forces; for now. Ashlynn could just barely make out what Katara was saying to Aang in hopes of calming him down.  
Her words of reassurance, however, had an effect, and Aang slowly descended from the sky, and the strong winds died down. Ashlynn followed Sokka as he ran over to his sister and the Avatar.

"Don't worry Aang; we're all here for you. We'll protect you, and we're not going to let anything happen to you," Sokka said. Aang left his Avatar state and collapsed in Katara's arms.

"I really am the last airbender..." he said quietly. Ashlynn turned away from the scene, feeling guilty for having been part of the fire nation, and for not having warned Aang of what he'd find.

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It was nighttime when the group packed up to leave. Aang learned to accept what had happened, and even managed to make friends with the lemur (who also brought food to Sokka, in means of making terms of peace with him). He even named the lemur Momo, signifying that he'd made the little critter his new pet.

Aang knew he had to find some way of speaking to his past Avatar lives, but knew naught of how to do it at the current time. So, he decided to move on. "I'm sorry Aang," Ashlynn said finally as Appa flew the group away from the temple. "What for?" Aang replied, not looking over at her.

"Well... I knew what had happened here, and I couldn't find it in my heart to tell you. I feel guilty inside and out for having grown up with the nation that did this, and I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. If you say you didn't help out ... if you say you didn't support any of the murder the fire nation has done, ever, then I'll believe you. You don't need to apologize ... I understand," Aang reassured her.

Ashlynn nodded, feeling slightly better, but not thoroughly at peace. She then took up lying down on Appa's back, looking up at the stars, still wondering what ever became of her friend, Zuko.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed, and the Avatar was at last discovered. He now travels with his newfound companions Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn.... Ashlynn being the childhood best friend of the well known fire prince Zuko...__  
__  
_"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Sokka questioned Aang after observing the map they had. "Well it's near water..." Aang replied uneasily.  
Ashlynn smirked as she took note that they were already completely surrounded by water.

A full day had passed since they had left the Southern Air Temple. They'd made few stops, and it was usually on Appa's account. A flying bison obviously couldn't fly consistently, all day long. Currently, it was midday. As far as Ashlynn knew, Aang was just looking for an island where its neighboring waters beheld a kind of fish he wanted to play with. Ashlynn and Katara both agreed on the fact that Aang shouldn't waste his time playing games, but neither of them could take an eager kid away from his few happy things in life.

As usual, Katara and Sokka picked on one another; like any ordinary pair of siblings. However, recently, Aang had taken up trying to impress Katara with different tricks of his. Each trick was a feeble attempt, and Katara hardly ever noticed, nor did she take into account that Aang was trying to impress her.

"Just ignore her Aang. I know she's ignoring you and all, but she's just busy sewing my pants. You need to give girls space when they do these things. You could easily irritate a working woman," Sokka said with a drowsy yawn at the end of his comment.

"Does it seem like I'm irritated...?" Katara said, and stopped her sewing to look at Sokka. "Sure. I mean, it's quite obvious Aang's tricks are irritating you..."

"If anything's irritating me, it's you. Here, fix your pants on your own," Katara fumed and chucked her brother's pants at him. "Katara! I can't sew..."

"Don't worry about your pants Sokka. We're going to go swim with some Koi fish, so you won't need them anyways!" Aang laughed. Ashlynn was rather surprised that **Aang**, out of everyone in the group, was the one least irritated.

"Aang, we can't afford to go _fishing_... We stopped yesterday... It'll take us ages to get to the North Pole," Katara argued. "Oh come on Katara, it won't take that long!" Aang said, and had Appa descend towards a small island in the middle of the water of their surroundings.

--------------------------------------------------------

Immediately after Appa landed Aang slid off his bison and scanned the horizon for the fish he wished to play with. He gasped when a monstrous fish way out at sea leapt from the water and created a tremendous splash as it went back down. The look of Sokka and Katara's faces were enough to make Ashlynn bite her lip to keep from cracking up. Apparently, they hadn't a clue of the size of an elephant koi fish.

Aang began to undress, and as soon as he did so he leapt into the ocean. "I'm going off to ride it, you gotta watch me Katara!"

Ashlynn sat down as he said this, and watched him swim out to sea.

When one of the fish emerged from the sea, Ashlynn saw that Aang had mounted upon its back and was now grasping onto its dorsal fin. As Katara noticed this she finally seemed impressed, and even cheered him on. However, she abruptly stopped her cheering as the dark fin of a much larger sea creature emerged from the water.

"Aang needs to get out of there!" Sokka said aloud as the predator sucked one of the few koi fish back into the water, never to be seen again.

"Aang! Get out! Aang!" Katara shouted and waved at him. Aang merely took this as a sign that he'd successfully impressed her, and just waved back. Ashlynn hopped up and began to shout warnings too. When Aang saw her waves of warning, he finally understood, and looked behind him to see the enemy slinking towards him and his koi fish.

As soon as he noticed this he leapt off his fish (which, luckily for him, was _then _dragged into the sea by its hunter) and used his air bending skills to quickly evade the monster and even help him run over the water back to the safe shoreline.

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"Alright, my vote is that we leave immediately, before that thing comes back to reclaim what it already lost," Ashlynn said, and glanced over at Aang, who was putting his clothes back on.

"I agree, we--"

But before Sokka could finish what he was going to say, a group of unknown people jumped from the top of the trees, and landed beside the Avatar and his companions. Before Ashlynn could see the ambushers she was blindfolded, and then her wrists were bound. She could hear the same being done to the others.

--------------------------------------------------------

The blindfold was not pulled from Ashlynn's face till' she, and the others, were tied up around a tree, so as to make sure they couldn't fight back. When the blindfold was removed, the first thing she noticed was a group of women, clad in green armor, and decorated with white make-up. She recognized them as the Kioshi Warriors.

"No way... a bunch of _women _ambushed us?" Sokka said in disbelief. The female who appeared to be the leader of the group stepped forward, and threatened to throw him a punch to the face, obviously insulted.

"Don't hurt him!" Ashlynn and Katara both shouted as the woman grabbed hold of Sokka's shirt, and raised her fist as she prepared to give him what she thought he deserved. She paused as they said this to eye them both with curiosity and confusion.

"He's just an idiot, pay no attention to what he says," Katara pleaded.

"Listen, this is my fault," Aang said, and the woman released her grip on Sokka's collar. He let out a breath of relief as she did this. "I wanted to ride the Koi Fish, I'm sorry."

"How do we know you aren't fire nation spies?!" an elderly man shouted at him.

"We Kioshi have managed to keep away from the war. We want nothing to do with it! And I intend to keep it that way," the old man spoke again after the moment of silence the Avatar's team provided.

"Kioshi? I know her! I mean, I know it sounds unlikely because she lived hundreds of years ago... But I know her, because I am the Avatar."

Before the people present could accuse him of lying, he air bended his way out of his bonds and slowly floated back to the ground, to prove that he was in fact the air-bending avatar.

"It's true! You are the Avatar!" murmured the crowd before them.

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When the people amongst the village realized that the Avatar had come to their island, rooms were immediately set up for the each of them. They were given a large table of food, and the citizens even began to repaint their statue of Avatar Kioshi in honor of Aang.

As exciting as it was to visit the island of Kioshi, Ashlynn had no desire to associate with anyone for the remainder of the day. She retreated to her new room, and collapsed on the bed that was provided for her. She brought it to her attention that Aang's arrival at Kioshi Island wouldn't stay quiet for long. She'd have to warn them that Zuko would come looking for them in no time.  
Ashlynn smiled slightly as she recalled a memory of hers.

_"Ready or not, here I come!" __  
__Ashlynn pulled her face away from the cold stone wall, and browsed the court yard before her. Zuko was no where in plain sight that she could see. "You can't hide for long Zuko!" she laughed, and ran down the stone steps to further examine the smaller spots of the court yard.__  
__First, behind a tree; second, under a stone bench; third, inside a large crevice. Ashlynn nearly gave up when she heard the movement of something in the bushes. "Aha! You're hiding in the bushes this time!" Ashlynn cried out, triumphant in her positive discovery of her friends hiding spot. __  
__"Aw man and I was so sure you wouldn't find it this time," Zuko whined as he emerged from the bushes. "Maybe you shouldn't make so much noise while hiding!" Ashlynn teased.__  
_

"Only eight... we were only eight..." Ashlynn whispered to herself, half asleep now. She fell into a deep sleep, missing the innocence of her childhood days.

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In the morning Ashlynn found Aang, Sokka, and Katara sitting at the large, food-covered table. "What's for breakfast?" Ashlynn asked as she sat down, across from Katara and Aang.

"Dessert! Man they're giving me anything I want!" Aang exclaimed as he stuffed his mouth with a kind of pastry.

Ashlynn examined the food before her, and confirmed that it was indeed all dessert. It was then that she lost her appetite, not really wanting dessert for the most important meal of the day.

She looked over at Sokka, who wasn't even eating, but rather sulking.

"What's eating him?" Ashlynn pondered aloud. "Oh he's just upset, still, about being ambushed by a bunch of girls."

At this remark, Sokka removed himself from the room murmuring things about "not being scared of girls." Ashlynn raised her eyebrows in wonderment as he did this, and Aang and Katara started laughing.

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For the remainder of the afternoon, (as far as Ashlynn knew) Aang merely tried to impress the little girls of the town, and Sokka tried to learn fighting techniques from the Kioshi Warriors. Katara, irritated with Aang letting his popularity get to his head, tried to pack up plenty of provisions for when the group left.

Ashlynn took the free time given to wash herself, as well as her only outfit. When she realized she had no other clothes, she went and got herself a small travel bag, a new pair of clothes, and some new travel shoes. Satisfied with her new robe and clean body, she went for a walk around town to observe the habits and lifestyles of the people. Having grown up behind palace walls all her childhood, she never got the chance to understand other cultures. So, she had decided to take the opportunity while she could.

Outside the sun was low in the sky, leaving an orange tint to the blue mass above. Sunset was Ashlynn's favorite time of the day, for, in her opinion, there was nothing more beautiful. However, this beauty was disrupted as one of the elderly men of the village ran, in panic, to the cabin in which the Kioshi Warriors could be found. Ashlynn didn't have to ask what was wrong, for the look on his face said it all.

"Fire nation..." Ashlynn said, and began a fast walk towards the front of town.  
Ashlynn observed the scene from the front of a shop near the entrance to the town. Sure, enough, as she had anticipated, there was Zuko and some fellow fire benders. "I want the Avatar!" Zuko shouted to the village that lay before him.

When no one made the move to hand over the currently absent Avatar, Zuko spoke again. "Come out Avatar! You can't hide forever!"

When Aang failed to make an appearance again, Zuko sent his fellow fire nation soldiers to rummage through the town. Ashlynn didn't leave the front of the shop where she stood, and only watched the soldiers walk down through the village.

She quivered a bit as the first pair of soldiers, mounted upon rhinos, passed her. Neither of the two recognized her, though. One of the soldiers of the second group, whom were also mounted upon rhinos, paused to get a better look at Ashlynn. Ashlynn gasped and stepped back as she saw the look of recognition in the soldier's eyes.

"Prince Zuko isn't this..." the soldier shouted, but was unable to finish as the Kioshi Warriors leapt upon them from above, and knocked each soldier off his rhino. Ashlynn took this opportunity to run to the shop next to her.

Sokka was with the warriors, and although she did not laugh, Ashlynn took note of how oddly funny it was that Sokka had been dressed up to look like the warriors.

The head of the Kioshi warriors, Suki, ran right towards Zuko. His rhino, however, knocked her off to the side as if she wasn't a real threat at all. When Zuko went to finish her off with his fire bending, Sokka stepped in and blocked the flames with a fan weapon he'd been given.

As Zuko was thrown off guard, one of the other warriors jumped in and knocked him off his mount. Then, as he was on the ground, the warriors closed in on him.

Ashlynn gasped as he began to shoot fire at each warrior that now surrounded him. Each of them retreated, so as to avoid being burned. Ashlynn ran after him, passing the fleeing warriors.

"Zuko, stop!" Ashlynn shouted as she ran at him, and then purposely ran right into Zuko, knocking him to the floor. She lost her balance, and fell with him. Before she could react, Zuko regained his standing posture and grabbed hold of her wrist, and forced her to look up at him. "Ashlynn?" he growled in disbelief. Ashlynn winced as the hand that grabbed her wrist began to heat up in anger. Before he could do anything else, Aang shouted at him.

Zuko released his grip on Ashlynn, and turned around to face the avatar.  
"Finally!" Zuko shouted, and did not hesitate to fire flames off at Aang.  
Aang was slow to react, and could not fully dodge every flame thrown. Therefore, he flew up in the air and landed in close range of Zuko. Ashlynn stood up wearily and turned away from the fight scene. She took the moment to run away from them, towards where Katara was protecting the children of the town.

Moments after Ashlynn reached Katara, Aang flew in too. "I can't beat him, I'm not ready. He's too quick!" Aang said, and hung his head, defeated. "I think we need to leave. Zuko will follow us away from this village and stop wreaking havoc upon these people if we guide him away," Ashlynn suggested, explaining an effective strategy.

Aang nodded, and called Appa to them. As Appa landed near them, Sokka came running after. The group of them climbed onto Appa's back, and took off.  
Ashlynn could hear Zuko ordering his men to abandon the now burning village to follow the Avatar. However, she didn't look down at him.

As they flew away from the scene, Katara tried to reassure Aang that running was the right thing to do. "We saved them by leaving, because now Zuko will leave them alone..." Katara said, and glanced angrily at Ashlynn when Zuko was mentioned. Ashlynn gave her a confused look in return, indicating that Zuko's behavior wasn't her fault.

As Katara said this, Aang suddenly hopped off Appa and fell into the sea below them.

"What did he do that for?!" Katara cried. Ashlynn looked down below them, and saw that Aang had grabbed hold of the menacing water monster, and was now using it as a type of hose.... using its water-spraying mouth to put out the fires of the village.

After he had finished his sudden task the creature tossed him into the air, where he conveniently landed upon Appa's back. Katara hugged him, and no one said anything. They were all aware of how dangerous that was, but they were all indeed glad that he had helped the village in the process.

Ashlynn laid out upon Appa's back, and looked up at the ever-darkening sky. She thought to herself, that even though Zuko had appeared angry with her, she was still glad to have seen him again...


	4. Chapter 4

___**Disclaimer: **____I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. One hundred years passed, and the Avatar was at last discovered. He now travels with his companions Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn... Ashlynn being the childhood best friend of the fire prince, Zuko..._

"So... where are we headed next?" Ashlynn asked as she stretched her arms out over her head and then rubbed her drowsy eyes.

"Well, I wanted to visit the earth kingdom of Omashu. I haven't been there for... well, over a hundred years. I'm hope my old friend will be there still. I used to visit him all the time," Aang replied, and steered Appa's reins to the right slightly.

"Who is this friend of yours? And how could you be sure he's still there... it's been so long..." Katara said as her voice dropped to a whisper.

"His name is Bumi. And I know he'll still be there. Where else would he be?" Aang said cheerfully. At this, Katara and Ashlynn exchanged nervous glances, both thinking about the fire nation again.

* * *

"There it is: The earth kingdom of Omashu!" Aang said as he dismounted Appa and stepped forward after doing so. Ashlynn remained on Appa for a moment, unmotivated to continue walking all the way they still had to go.

Omashu looked like a bland city made of simple dirt, to Ashlynn. At least, at the distance they were standing at. She'd definitely seen more magnificent things in her lifetime.

"Wow... we don't have cities like this in the south pole..." Katara said in complete awe. Ashlynn rolled her eyes, and thought that it was quite obvious that the South Pole wouldn't be able to hold down such large cities.

Aang only laughed, and then started to walk in the direction of the distant city. "Wait Aang, if people find out you're the Avatar, it could get nasty. Maybe you should wear a disguise..." Sokka said.

It only took a moment to create Aang's disguise. Ashlynn thought it was a rather unconvincing one, but she couldn't help but let them go along with it. Katara and Sokka had made a failed attempt to make Aang look like an elderly man, but to Ashlynn he simply looked like a kid playing dress-up. Or maybe, that was just because she'd gotten used to Aang's kid-like personality.

"You look JUST like my grandfather now," Sokka said. Aang went along with what Sokka said, and grabbed hold of his staff and used it as a walking stick, and gave the appearance that he was so old that his back had a hunch.

Finally, Ashlynn burst out laughing, unable to hold in the giggles any longer. However, no one else seemed to think it was that funny, and she immediately felt awkward and out of place.

"Sorry... it was just funny... I haven't laughed in some time; I guess I needed to..." Ashlynn said sheepishly, and blushed.

Katara nodded, and Ashlynn thought she saw Sokka roll his eyes. Aang grinned at her, and then beckoned the group to follow him.

* * *

Ashlynn's legs quivered by the time they reached the gates. "Man, I don't think I'd be so sick of walking if there was more to look at than dirt, rocks, and more dirt," Ashlynn sighed.

"Well, at least the friendliness of the people here will make up for the poor surroundings," Aang assured her. "I sure hope so," Ashlynn replied bitterly.

As they said this, they approached the gates of the city, where the guards were interrogating a harmless man about his wagon of cabbages. "What kind of slum do you think this is?" one of the guards shouted at the man, and earth bended his wagon of cabbages off the side of the mountain.

"Friendly?" Ashlynn whispered to Aang in annoyance. He laughed nervously, and told the group to just smile and everything would be fine.

As Aang approached the guards, one of them used earth bending to force a large rock to hover above Aang's head as a threat, in case Aang tried anything they didn't like. "Who are you? State your business!" the guard shouted at Aang.

Aang shouted back, telling the guard things like "Mind your own business" and sending him threats that seemed unlikely to come from an "old" man. The guard immediately put the rock back in its former place. "Settle down old man... Can we at least have your name?"

Ashlynn didn't even bother trying to make sense of the long title Aang gave the guard. Aang then said that his followers were his grandchildren. Ashlynn had to keep from sighing in disbelief as the guard bought every word Aang told him, and allowed them entrance into the city.

Ashlynn was far more impressed with the inside of the city than she was with the outside. She still felt bitter, however, as she thought to herself "Wow, it's just a bunch of dirt..." To her left was Katara and Sokka, who both viewed the city with such awe that Ashlynn was surprised their jaws could even shut when they'd gotten over their shock.

After having gotten over her annoyance with the water tribe siblings, Ashlynn took in the full view of the city. It was in fact all simple dirt, but it still wasn't as bad as she had anticipated. There weren't any fire nation that she could see, and the townsfolk looked rather happy. Up on the top of the mountain was what looked to be the palace of the kingdom, and coming down from it were dirt carts that carried goods and belongings around the whole city.

"That's Omashu's delivery system," Aang explained. "There are miles and miles of tubes and chutes. Earth bending brings packages up, and gravity pulls them back down the city. Yeah they get their mail and goods on time and everything, but Bumi found a much better use..." Aang said with a devilish grin.

"And what would that be?" Katara asked. "Come on, I'll show you!" Aang smiled.

It turned out that what Bumi's idea of this delivery system was, was a giant super-slide. Ashlynn's heart raced with excitement as she thought of how fun it would be to ride down one of the enormous slides in the dirt-made cart. "Come you guys, just one ride down the slide and that'll be it..." Aang said.

"I'm so up for it!" Ashlynn said in excitement, and hopped into the cart that Aang was already in. "I don't know..." Katara said uneasily, but boarded the cart as well. Sokka didn't say anything, and hopped in too.

Katara began to protest, but was immediately stopped as the cart shot down the slide. Ashlynn screamed at first in surprise, and then out of how thrilling it was. Aang laughed, and Katara and Sokka held on to the sides of the cart as though they might fall off if they let go.

However, Ashlynn lost the excitement she was being filled with as Aang rocked the cart, and flew it off the slide. Everyone but Aang screamed in terror, and even Ashlynn gripped the sides of the cart, terrified she might fall out.

The cart landed on the roof of a building, slid off, and sped up as it did so, giving it enough speed to slide past a group of soldiers and off the side of that building, and land in another slide.

"Aang- Use your air bending!" Katara screamed in desperation. "Great idea," Aang said, and then did the exact opposite of what Katara had in mind, and instead made the cart slide down faster.

"Stop," Ashlynn screamed louder and shut her eyes, afraid they might crash into something. She decided then that Aang was crazy, for he the faster the cart went the harder he laughed.

When Ashlynn opened her eyes, she screamed louder still as she saw that their cart was headed right for another cart. When the carts collided everyone was thrown out of the current cart, and then pulled downward by gravity. Ashlynn groped the air, desperate for something to hold on to. Then, she fell back into the same cart, for Aang had air-bended it back underneath everyone.

However, the cart did not land onto another slide, but slid off a roof. Then, slid on another roof, and crashed through the windows of a house, and landed, finally, on top of a fruit-cart.

Ashlynn's head spun in pain as she tried to regain visual focus. When the cart had finally crashed, she'd been tossed out and had landed on a nearby wall. She forced herself to sit up, and clumsily hop off the wall. When her vision came into clear focus, she saw the guards of the kingdom were surrounding their group.

"Playtime is over, kids. You're going directly to the king; he'll know what to do with you."

* * *

The king of Omashu was one of the ugliest people Ashlynn had ever laid eyes on. He looked far too old... and slightly insane. His eye looked like it might've had a permanent twitch, even though it never actually twitched. His hands were decrepit, and his skin sagged. Ashlynn looked down at the floor, feeling like she might get sick if she continued to stare at him.

"Your majesty, these kids were arrested for vandalism, travelling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of some of our finer fruits," the guard said, and at this each of them was forced to their knees.

"What is your judgment, sire?" the other guard asked.

Tension built up as the king decided upon what to do with them. Finally, he said "Throw them a feast!"

Ashlynn raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Aang did the same. Each guard groaned, as though the king had given similar "punishments" before.

* * *

Ashlynn was even more disturbed by the king during the feast, where she got to understand more of what he was like. He got really up-close to the group, invading their personal space, which made Ashlynn really uncomfortable. He also kept talking about how fat the people of his kingdom were getting from eating at feasts.

"So, where do you come from young bald boy?" the king asked as he finally sat down in his chair. Aang quickly made up a place as to where he had used to live, and Ashlynn could tell the king wasn't buying it.

"I'm afraid I'm just too tired to continue sitting here... I guess I'll be going to bed..." the king said with a yawn, and as he turned to remove himself from his chair, he threw a piece of food right at Aang's direction. Reflexively, Aang bended a bubble of air around the food to keep himself from being struck with it- revealing he was an air bender.

"See guards, there's an air bender in our presence. And therefore he must be.... The Avatar!" the king said angrily, and stood up from his chair. Ashlynn flinched at this, still grossed out by his appearance and now intimidated by his anger.

Aang was quick to cover up what he was doing there. "Yep, you caught me! I'm the Avatar... doing what I do best: protecting the world! And it seems like everything here is pretty safe and protected! So since I'm done here, I guess we should get going now..."

"Oh, I'm afraid you guys won't be going anywhere," and as the king said this, the guards blocked every available doorway. "No... Tomorrow I want to survey the Avatar as he faces three challenges. For now, the guards will be escorting you to a room that was once a prison cell."

* * *

The room they were given hardly looked like a prison cell. It obviously had had some major fixing done to it. Now, it looked like a clean room meant to hold several people. There were, conveniently, enough beds for them all, too.

"I can't believe this used to be a prison cell... it's too nice," Ashlynn said as she wandered the room. "Nice or not, we're still prisoners. We need to try and find a way out of here," Sokka said.

"Yeah... I don't want to stick around and find out what these challenges are like," Aang said.

"Well... sorry gang- but there's no way out of here. The walls are made of rock, and none of us are earth benders.... and the air vents are far too small to fit through," Ashlynn said as she laid out on her chosen bed.

Sokka chose a bed on one side of her, and Katara chose the bed on the other side of her. Aang sprawled out on the bed between the two of them. "You should get some rest Aang, you'll need it for tomorrow," Katara said as she crawled under the blankets provided for her. "I guess so..." Aang said, and did the same.

Ashlynn remained motionless, not really tired enough to sleep. She felt rather antsy and impatient. She hated the idea of being held prisoner, again. If she had to be a prisoner she'd much rather be Zuko's prisoner again.

Hours after everyone had fallen asleep, Ashlynn still remained where she lie. She couldn't quite shake off the antsy feeling that was keeping her from sleeping.

Finally, she stood up and began to pace around the room, trying to rid herself of the energy in her body. "Ashlynn- What are you doing?" came Katara's voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Ashlynn said and turned away from the wall she faced to look in the direction Katara's voice came from. "No, it's alright," Katara said, and Ashlynn heard her get up from her bed.

"You really shouldn't bother yourself with me. Go back to bed Katara," Ashlynn said, but it was too late, for now Katara's shape was coming into view through the darkness.

"Well, it's obvious you're bothered. Want to talk about it?" Katara asked as she stopped by Ashlynn's side.

"There's nothing to talk about, really. I just hate being a prisoner. I mean, I was a captive in the fire nation for so long... I just enjoy freedom and I'm mad I'm a prisoner again."

"What do you mean you were a captive?" Katara questioned.

"I wasn't _really_ a captive... I just felt like one. Living with the royal family for all my life... I was forced to go wherever they wanted me to, and I had to do everything they said. I lived behind palace walls during my childhood, and thought I'd obtain freedom by going with Zuko when he left the nation to redeem his honor," Ashlynn explained.

"So you just felt like you were behind walls all the time... and you're upset to be behind walls again, after only just regaining your freedom?" Katara summarized. Ashlynn nodded.

"Oh, well--"

But before Katara could finish, the wall nearest them shuffled, and a guard with a lit torch entered the room. "You two- wake the other friend of the Avatar's and come with me. In order for the avatar to complete his tasks, we need you three to motivate him to do so," the guard explained.

"I guess there's no sense in arguing..." Katara said, and went to wake Sokka.

* * *

The group taken away from Aang didn't see their fourth companion until early morning, when the guard brought Aang to the king. Ashlynn thought the king didn't look as gross in his newest outfit, but she still wasn't happy with his appearance.

"I don't have time for these tasks your majesty. Give me my friends back, we're leaving," Aang demanded. The king laughed. "I thought you might refuse, therefore I'm giving each of your friends a ring of 'creeping crystal'. Its crystal that grows fast, and by night fall will have consumed your friends in it. I'll remove them, but only if you cooperate."

Ashlynn found 'creeping crystal' to be very creepy indeed. She twitched as it began to grow over her finger.

"...I'll do what you want..." Aang said, defeated. The king smirked, and escorted Aang to the area of his first task.

* * *

The first task was to retrieve the 'lunch-box' key of the king's. The key hung on a chain, which was surrounded by high powered, downfall water. The water was surrounded by dirt spikes in the ground.

Aang's first attempt, trying to climb up the waterfall, failed. The second attempt he dove head first into the water, and failed as well. His third, throwing one of the dirt spikes at the chain to break it, was the successful try.

"Alright then, Avatar... The second task... I've lost my pet Flopsy," the king said and stuck out his bottom lip.

Ashlynn groaned, not enjoying the sight of his pouty bottom lip.

* * *

The second task took place in an arena. What appeared to be Flopsy sat upon a rock in the middle of the arena. Ashlynn figured this wasn't the real test, because that seemed too simple.

"Bring me my pet," the king ordered.

Aang approached the little bunny sitting on the rock, and as he did so he was assaulted by an enormous beast. Aang tried to evade the creature as he chased the little bunny that fled in terror.

It wasn't until the little bunny ran into a hole for safety that it occurred to Aang that the trick of this task was that the beast chasing him was the Flopsy the king was looking for. As soon as Aang realized this, the beast turned friendly, and ran to his master for attention.

Aang hopped onto the wall where the king and his companions waited. As Ashlynn watched this, the crystal began to grow more. She sighed in annoyance, for the crystal had already encased all her body but her feet and head.

"I'm ready for the next challenge," Aang said as he watched the king rub the belly of Flopsy. The king laughed a rather evil laugh.

* * *

The third task took place in an even larger arena than the last. Other than that, the only difference was that this one looked more like a professional fighting arena, rather than one meant to hold a pet inside.

"Alright, this is a special task. And so, you may choose your opponent," the king said. As he said this, two heavily armored and intimidating men stepped forward. One looked like agility was his advantage and the other looked like he was slow... yet could deal tough blows.

"Choose wisely," the king sneered. Aang thought for a moment, and then pointed at the king. The king laughed and said, "Wrong choice."

Ashlynn gagged as she watched the king morph into his 'battle' appearance. His back stretched upward so it was no longer hunched, and it sounded as if every bone in his body cracked. He threw off his purple robe to reveal a bare chest and simple fighting pants. Ashlynn looked at the floor, not wanting to stare at the half naked, old man at all. Even Aang made a kind of disturbed noise.

Ashlynn made no move to look up and survey the scene below. Instead she just listened. Every couple of seconds there was a gasp or a shout or a noise of panic that exited Aang's mouth. The king only taunted him every time Aang made a move.

It was quite some time before Aang began to start winning. Ashlynn noticed the ground shake more than once, and still she refused to look up. At this point she figured she just had no interest in watching the fight go on, because she knew she wouldn't act like such a baby after the length of the current fight.

Finally, the noises of panic and surprise and the cackling of triumph stopped. "Well done Avatar," the king congratulated. It was then that Ashlynn looked up.

Aang had his staff pointed at the old man's chest. When the king had finished his comment, he fell back into the earth, and (apparently) earth bended his way back to the avatar's companions' sides. "You passed all my tests, and so you must now answer one question," the king said calmly.

"What! That's not fair! You said you'd let us go if I completed your tasks," Aang complained. "What's the point if you don't learn anything?" the king said.

"Now, answer this question and I'll let everyone go. What... is my name?" the king asked, and his lips peeled over his teeth to form a rather goofy and satisfied grin. The king walked off to the side, cackling, leaving Aang to ponder the question.

"You don't have a whole lot of time Aang, this crystal stuff is about to completely take over my body," Ashlynn said as the crystal began to cover one side of her face. "Think about the tests Aang. What'd you learn?" Katara said.

"Well... each one... was different than I expected. I had to think different from how I normally would..." Aang said, and looked away from his friends to think some more.

Ashlynn wanted to scream as she felt an itch happen across her covered shoulder. "Aang, hurry up," she whined.

"I know his name!" Aang smiled.

* * *

The group was escorted back to the main palace hall where the king waited for them, ready for Aang's answer.

"I solved the question the same way I solved the tests you gave me. You once said I had to open my mind to the possibilities, and that's just what I did. Bumi... you're a mad genius," Aang said, and ran forward to hug the friend he hadn't seen for a hundred years.

"I guess he was right, his friend really was still alive," Ashlynn said, ever more impatient due to the itch that refused to leave her alone. "Your majesty- It'd be great if you could remove this crystal now," came Sokka's voice from behind the crystal mass that now covered everything but his mouth.

King Bumi released Aang from their hug and earth bended the creeping crystal off of them. "Finally, yes!" Ashlynn cried, and relieved her shoulder from its irritating itch.

Katara laughed a little, and Aang smiled. Sokka, who's humor was still absent, then questioned Bumi. "Why did you do this? I mean, instead of just telling Aang who you really were?"

"Well on the whole, it's fun messing with people," Bumi laughed. "...Are you serious?" Ashlynn asked as she relieved herself of another itch.

"I'm very serious. However, I do have another reason. Aang, it's your job to restore balance to our world. You have to master the four elements, and face the fire lord. When you do, you need to be sharp. And think like a mad genius!"

Aang bowed before King Bumi, and smiled a very large smile. "You're an excellent company too. You've chosen great friends, and they'll help you more than you can imagine," Bumi said, and nodded at Ashlynn, Katara, and Sokka.

"Thanks for everything Bumi," Aang said, bowed once more, and turned to leave.

Ashlynn followed, and exited the city feeling very refreshed and once again appreciating the freedom she had.


	5. Chapter 5

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished._

A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...

Traveling in the middle of the woods so as to avoid the fire nation had the avatar's team scrapping for food. The group elected Sokka as their own personal food gatherer, which was a very poor choice indeed.

"Alright, I'm back with our food for the moment," Sokka announced as he entered the clearing in which the group had stopped in. "That's great! I'm starved," Ashlynn said, and ran over to him. Sokka proceeded to show his lightly filled leather bag to the group. "What'd you get?" Katara asked.

"Well, lots and lots of nuts... Oval shaped ones... Rock shaped ones... Actually, that may just be a rock," Sokka said as he pulled a rock-looking nut from the bag. "That's it- Just a bunch of nuts?" Ashlynn asked.

"Hey, I'm doing my best alright. Cut me some slack," Sokka said, and bit on a nut. Ashlynn started laughing as he shivered, and chucked the nut to the side, muttering something about 'rocks'.

Sokka picked up a different nut, and bit down on it. At the exact moment he bit down on the nut, there was a loud slamming that sounded through the woods. Sokka jumped at this, and bit his finger as well as the nut. He cried out in response, which caused a chain reaction of jumping and screaming. Momo ducked behind Appa, and Appa merely yawned.

Ashlynn laughed even harder at the fright that was now apparent throughout the group. However, she immediately shut her mouth as another sound of what seemed like rock against rock sounded through the forest. "What could that possibly be?" Aang pondered.

"We got to check it out," Katara said, and together her and Aang ran towards the sound. "We're going to run TOWARDS the noise?" Sokka groaned. Instead of protesting more, he ran after them, and Ashlynn ran after him.

The group stopped behind a log so as to remain hidden. The log rested before a very small canyon, in which there was a boy who appeared to be only a little older than Katara earth bending rocks into the canyon wall. "Wow, an earth bender!" Katara exclaimed.

"Wow he looks like he knows a few tricks... Maybe we should go introduce ourselves," Aang suggested. "I don't know... I don't like it. What if he's here on purpose, like the fire nation put him here? I mean that'd be like a trap..."

As Sokka went on about his suspicions Katara hopped up over the log and ran towards the young man. Unfortunately, as soon as he noticed her, he dropped the rock he had bended in mid air and ran off down the canyon. As he ran, he caused rock slides down either side of the canyon to cover up his trail.

"Wow, I didn't even get to say hi," Katara said as Ashlynn and the rest of the group ran up beside her. "I told you it wasn't a good idea. He's probably already run off to the fire nation," Sokka said. Katara shot him a look that said 'watch it', and he immediately shut up.

"Well, say that he isn't running to the fire nation. Then he'd be running to a town. A town would have a market. A market would provide..." Aang said.

"No nuts for dinner!" Katara exclaimed and grinned. Sokka let out a groan of disbelief. "I worked hard to get those nuts..." he pouted.

"Who cares! Let's go see if there's a village," Katara said, and ran off in the direction the earth bender had run. Aang followed her.

"Well, I would have eaten them," Ashlynn shrugged, and walked off in the direction the town would be. "Thanks..." Sokka said awkwardly, and followed her.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The boy had in fact run off towards a town. However, it was a small town, completely cut off from nearby civilization. The market available wasn't so bad though, and Ashlynn took the time to appreciate that she'd be eating a more scrumptious meal for dinner, despite her reassuring words to Sokka.

Aang found enjoyment in trying on different hats. Sokka refused to wipe the pouting expression from his face. Katara ran off in an opposite direction from the market. Ashlynn decided to follow Katara.

"What are you doing?" Ashlynn asked her. "I saw that earth bender go into a house up here. I want to talk to him," she replied.

Katara stopped at the door of a very small house that had one window next to the small door. She knocked on it, and the earth bending boy answered it. He jumped at the sight of Katara.

"Hey there," Katara said.

"Who is it?" questioned a woman's voice from inside the house. "No one ma," the boy replied.

"You're that kid we saw in the canyon," Katara continued. "What? No, you must have me confused with someone else," he quickly said. "What? No I don't," Katara said, and laughed to cover up the awkward moment.

"Yeah, she doesn't," followed Aang's voice from behind.

"Haru, let them inside," came the woman's voice again. Reluctantly, Haru, the earth bender, opened the door to let the group into his tiny household.

"Yeah, we saw you earth bending," Sokka said as Haru shut the door behind the group. "They saw you doing what?!" the older woman gasped. Then, she ran to the one window, and shut that as well.

"What are you guys talking about? Mom, they're crazy! Just look at their clothing!" Haru said, obviously trying to cover up that he'd been earth bending.

"Haru- You know what'd happen if they found you!" the woman snapped in a hushed voice.

Just then, a knock was made at the door. The woman clasped her hand to her mouth to silence her gasp, and then shot her son an angry look. Sokka peered through the blinds of the window, and frowned. "It's the fire nation... Act natural," he whispered.

"Sokka, I can't just act natural! Almost the entirety of the nation knows who I am!" Ashlynn argued. "Then go hide!" Sokka whispered back as he grabbed some food to make it look like he was eating. Katara, Haru, and Aang did the same. Ashlynn groaned, and went to a nearby corner, faced the wall, laid down, and pretended to be asleep.

Ashlynn heard the door open, and the sound of fire nation soldiers stepping into the room. "What do you want? I've paid you already!" Haru's mother shouted at the soldier. "The tax doubled," the soldier said. Ashlynn didn't recognize his voice.  
Then, Ashlynn felt the room heat up and heard Katara and the mother gasp. Ashlynn knew the soldier was using fire bending to threaten them. "We wouldn't want any accidents, now would we?" he laughed.

"Fire can be so hard to control," he said. As he said this, Ashlynn felt the heat die down, indicating that he'd stopped his fire bending act. Then, Ashlynn heard the footsteps of the older woman and the fire nation soldiers pace across the room. Ashlynn peered over her shoulder to survey the scene.

The woman was pulling out a small box that probably held small trinkets. She handed it to the soldier, which he wrenched from her wrinkled hands with unnecessary force. He then proceeded to pick out a few gold coins, and then handed her back the small box.

"There, you have what you came here for. Now, leave us in peace!" the woman pleaded. The man began to turn around, but then did a double take in Ashlynn's direction.

"Sleeping- During a time such as this? Oh, come now. You people are so lazy. Lady, go wake that young one in the corner there," the soldier ordered. Ashlynn quickly turned her head back towards the wall and uttered a curse from behind her clenched teeth.

Then, Ashlynn felt the cool hand of the Haru's mother upon her bare arm. "The fire nation soldier has ordered you to wake up, because there is no time for sleep with the times we live in," she said just loud enough for the soldier to hear. Ashlynn braced herself, and slowly got up, not turning away from the wall.

"Yeah, that's more like it you lazy peon. Why don't you come outside with me? I'm sure I can find some work for you," the soldier laughed. "That was an order, mind you."

Ashlynn bit back a second curse word, inhaled, and turned around. The expression the soldier gained next was just what she'd expected.

"Men! Arrest her!" he shouted. The other soldiers peered over from behind the lead soldier, and also gasped in surprise.

"Wow, of all the places we could find her! Man we hit the jackpot!" one of them said with glee.

_  
Ah, jeez. Zuko put a price on my head? Wonder how much he's paying to have me back..._

Ashlynn formed a smile within her mind at the thought of Zuko paying for her arrest. She made no protest as the lesser soldiers bound her hands together with a thick rope.

"Should we arrest the housekeeper for housing a criminal?" one of the lesser soldiers asked. "That won't be necessary. They didn't know I was a criminal... I paid them for their hospitality. Let them be, and take me to your prison ship," Ashlynn quickly announced, and gave a small wink in the direction of her friends. Aang lowered his head, knowing that it was far too late to fight back.

With that, Ashlynn was tugged out the door, forced to follow the soldiers like an obedient dog on a leash.

The place she were taken to was just like any other ordinary fire nation prison ship you'd seen. Large, machine-powered, and crawling with mostly innocent people whom the pampered fire nation bullies found excuses to arrest. It was almost degrading to Ashlynn, seeing how many people were aboard the ship.

The soldiers gave no preference as to where she was to stay, aside from keeping it within the main interior of the ship, along with all the other prisoners. So, they unbound her, and forced her among the pile, reassuring her she'd see Zuko as soon as it could be made possible.

Ashlynn recognized no prisoners, so instead of mingling with the other 'criminals', she sat against a cold wall of the machine ship. She punched it before leaning against it to release the anger she had. Being a prisoner AGAIN was not exactly the best thing for her.

* * *

Later that evening, an announcement was made that the ship would be departing mid-morning the next day due to some re-sorting of the town, which was code-word for 'we're going to go arrest more civilians, wait here while we do that'.

After the announcement was made, Ashlynn watched some of the soldiers depart from the ship. She took note on how much of a bully the fire nation troops had become. If she ever got the chance to speak to the king, or at least the troop's commanders, she'd make sure something was done about it.

She spent the next few hours fantisizing about getting the fire nation bullies in trouble. She'd imagined everything from being able to give each one a kick in their 'weak spot', to being able to help toss them into a dungeon where it'd be so cold that their fire bending was rendered useless.

Eventually she fell asleep, and took up dreaming about her fantasies. However, she didn't sleep for very long, because she heard the arrival of some more prisoners being boarded upon the ship. The sound of the opening ramp into the ship was highly irritating and impossible to ignore, so instead of trying to go back to sleep she sat up instead and eyed the new prisoners.

She was almost relieved to see that the earth bender Haru was among them. It didn't surprise her to see him. She figured he'd be caught one way or another. Fire benders were ruthless.

"Haru!" she hissed when he came within ear shot of her. He quickly turned his head in her direction, and she watched him exhale in relief. He immediately walked over to her and sat down next to her. "How'd you get in here?" she asked as soon as he was comfortable.

"Well, Katara and I went on this walk right... And all of a sudden we hear this rock slide. We run towards the noise, and this tunnel had begun to collapse on this old man. There wasn't any other way to save him, so I had to earth bend the rocks off his body, and---"

"One of the fire nation bullies saw you, huh?" Ashlynn interrupted with severe curiosity.

"Not quite... There was no one around, actually. Instead, the old man ratted me out," Haru said with a frown.

"Wow, what a jerk. Should have let him die," Ashlynn said bluntly. Haru fed her a quizzical look, and then rested his head against the cold wall of the ship and closed his eyes. "I'm not exactly upset to be here. I'm kind of hoping I'll see my father," Haru said without opening his eyes or looking over at Ashlynn.

"That'd be great if you did. Listen, we'd better get some shut eye. I can guarantee that tomorrow won't be the easiest day of your life," Ashlynn suggested. Haru nodded, and didn't hesitate to lie down and remain silent. Ashlynn did the same.

--------------------------------------------------------

Ashlynn awoke to more loud noise in the morning. The noise made it apparent that the ship was taking off. Haru hadn't moved from the spot he'd be in before. Only difference was that he was awake and had breakfast, which appeared to be a grey-ish stew of some sort. Ashlynn felt her stomach rumble, and grasped it while trying to ignore the uncomfortable pain it presented.

"Are you hungry?" Haru said, and offered his bowl of stew out to her. "I am, but not for something that looks like that," Ashlynn laughed. She frowned when her stomach growled again.

"Suit yourself. It's not as bad as it could be... And I figured we'd need the energy. You said so yourself... That today wasn't going to be easy," he reminded her. "Touché," she said, and took the bowl that he'd offered. She stared at the muck for a moment, and then took a bite. As promised, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Only problem was that at that moment one of the fire nation soldiers decided to approach her.

"You're lady Ashlynn, are you not?" the soldier asked. Ashlynn looked up at him while taking a second sip of stew. She nodded as she swallowed its contents.

"I've been ordered to take you to a separate section of the ship, for your own safety. You're of the highest priority on this ship, and it'll be on our heads if you're hurt in anyway. When the ship makes it second stop you'll depart from the ship with the earth benders, and remain at an earth bender prison until Prince Zuko can make arrangements to pick you up from there. Last we heard, that was where he was closest to," the soldier finished without having made a single expression throughout his entire speech.

Ashlynn glanced over at Haru and gave him a small wink, letting him know they'd bump into each other again. She then handed him the bowl of stew, and stood up to follow the soldier to her new holding cell.

---------------------------------------------------

Compared to the outdoors with all the other captives, Ashlynn's new cell was pathetic on a large level. The room was small, and cramped with one bed that wasn't even long enough to fit her from head to toe... And she wasn't very tall. The room was made of the same substances as the rest of the ship, and smelled heavily of a bile odor. Ashlynn immediately missed the smell of the fumes that came from the smoke pipes and cluttered the air she would inhale.

Ashlynn sat on the bed and was instantly overcome with boredom. She cheered up slightly when she felt the ship begin to move, indicating that it was headed towards its different destinations, which meant that she'd be out of the stuffy room in no time.

She didn't stay seated on the bed for long. Instead, she picked up a few stray objects from the ground and used them to carve letters into the wall. She carved her name first, and then Zuko's. She then proceeded to conjure up a few stick figures. One was air bending, and one was fire bending. One was an earth bender, and the other bended water. Each held the others hand, and had the symbol for each above their head.

By the time she finished her work of art she realized that the ship had come to a stop. Whether it was the first or second stop she wasn't sure, for she hadn't been paying much attention to the passing time. In the end, however, she realized it must've been the second stop when she heard the soldiers walking down the outside hallway to come retrieve her.

"Lady Ashlynn," one of the two soldiers said, "We've arrived at the earth bender prison. Please, follow us, and we'll take you to your warden."

Ashlynn got up from the ground, leaving her drawing on the wall behind without a seconds thought on it.

Ashlynn recognized the warden of the earth bender prison, though she couldn't recall his name. She'd been there when he was appointed to the warden rank, along with several other members. He, undoubtedly, recognized her too. She wondered if there really was anyone in the fire nation who didn't know her face by now.

"Lady Ashlynn," the warden greeted. Ashlynn then began to wonder why it was she'd adopted the name 'lady' Ashlynn. "Warden," she responded with a slight nod of the head. He nodded back, and motioned for her to stand by him.

"Here we are going to greet the newly captive earth benders. Once I put them in their place I'll escort you to your room, which is along the way to their facilities," he explained. Ashlynn nodded at this, and watched as the captive earth benders lined up before them. She wasn't surprised to see Haru as one of them.

"Welcome, new earth benders. I can see there's not that many of you joining us, but no matter. We receive new shipments of your kind every day, and have plenty of you here already," the warden said with a smirk, and motioned towards the working grounds behind him.

"Normally Id expect you all to act very hostile, and shout your usual curses at me. If there were rocks available for you, Id be bracing myself for an earth bending assault. However, I'd like you all to take in consideration of whom you're standing before, and I do not mean myself," the warden looked over at Ashlynn as he said this.

"This here is Ashlynn, for all you who are oblivious to today's world. She might as well be a princess of the fire nation, so you'd all best treat her like one!" the warden ordered. "Please, warden, this isn't necessary," Ashlynn murmured. "Very well," he nodded.

"You will now all be escorted to where you will be working for the remainder of your imprisonment, while I escort Ashlynn to her holding cell. Good day, men," the warden said, and walked past Ashlynn and murmured for her to follow. Ashlynn gave a small wave to Haru, and walked after the warden.

Ashlynn's new holding cell was a bigger improvement from the last. She could actually fit her entire length upon the bed provided, and it was lighter and less stench filling the room. As soon as the warden left, Ashlynn plopped herself on the surprisingly comfortable bed, and took up trying to make pictures out of the ceiling pattern. As she did this, she tried not to think about what was going to happen next or about how long it was going to be before someone opened the door to her 'cell'.

Ashlynn fell asleep while trying to be artistic with the ceiling. She tossed a little as she dreamt of being burnt accidently by Aang while practicing the fire bending he had yet to learn. She was a little surprised when she woke up. The sounds she heard were loud, and rather close to her cell. It sounded like shouting to her.

And then, a pounding came from outside her door. More than a pounding... More like someone was trying to break it down. Ashlynn quickly jumped off her bed and stood to the side of the door and tried to listen to the commotion outside. She screamed in surprise when the door fell inward beside her. She exhaled in relief and relaxed her muscles when Sokka was the one who ran inside.

"Oh Ashlynn- It is you!" Sokka smiled. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Ashlynn said, though she didn't smile. Now that the door was open, the shouts from outside were louder. "What's going on?" she asked as she peered out the door.

"Katara got herself arrested yesterday morning and arrived here last night. Haru got arrested and she took full blame for it, so she decided to come rescue him. When we bumped into Haru he said you'd been taken to one of these cells, so I volunteered to come rescue you," Sokka said triumphantly. Ashlynn flashed a smile in return.

"That still doesn't explain the shouting," Ashlynn frowned.

"Right... Katara motivated the earth benders. She and Aang are helping them rebel against the fire nation soldiers. I think they're winning," Sokka said, and stepped outside the beaten door. Ashlynn cautiously followed him.

It was bright outside, indicating that she'd slept through the whole night. She shielded her eyes as she tried to adjust to the blazing sun. "C'mon, we'd better hurry. Chances are they'll try to escape and we don't want to get left behind," Sokka said, and grabbed Ashlynn's wrist and tugged her along. She stumbled forward, still trying to adjust to the light.

When her eyesight finally focused, she saw a battle between earth and fire in which earth was winning. A hole had been blasted through one of the outer walls, and earth benders were evacuating and boarding a boat beyond the hole in the wall. Some earth benders had stayed behind to finish the task of chucking fire benders off the side of the buildings into the waters below. Aang and Katara were among those who stayed behind.

"Ashlynn- You're alright," Aang said as Sokka and she ran up to them. "Yeah- Looks like you all did a fantastic job giving those fire benders some trouble," Ashlynn grinned. Aang grinned back at her.

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Far past midday, and the fire benders were officially disposed of. Sokka, Aang, and Ashlynn mounted Appa as they waited for Haru to give his thanks to Katara, and send the group a farewell. It was almost heart-warming, to Ashlynn, to see Haru and Katara embrace in such a friendly hug. It was good for them to have gained some allies.

The friendly feeling formed into sudden panic when Katara found that her mother's necklace had fallen from her neck.

As Appa flew the group away from the ships of rebelling earth benders, Ashlynn and Aang did their best to comfort Katara for the loss of her precious item. All of them were highly unaware of how they narrowly escaped having landed in the Zuko's grasp...


	6. Chapter 6

___**Disclaimer: **____I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. ___

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, and air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...__  
_  
Ashlynn groaned as she looked over at the floor below her, and once again saw nothing but grasslands. Her companions had been travelling for days, and nothing worth checking out had shown up in their search.

"It really seems like we'll find nothing at this point. All we've been doing for the past several days is flying, sleeping, eating, and watching Aang dive into clouds," Ashlynn said as Aang jumped off Appa once again and dove into a cloud below.

"Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe it means we'll get to the Northern Water Tribe quicker. Aang and I could really use the water bending learning," Katara said.

"I guess..." Ashlynn replied, and returned to lying down with a pouting expression. "It's just boring. I mean the rest of us can't take dives into clouds. Unless Appa does it for us, but that's not as fun..." Ashlynn whined, and winced a little when she heard Appa growl.

"You say you're bored? Well not anymore. Look at that," Sokka said, and pointed ahead of where Appa was flying. Everyone, including the soaked Aang, went to the edge of Appa's saddle to view what Sokka had pointed at.

"It's like... some kind of scar," Katara murmured. Ashlynn studied the burnt land carefully, and agreed with Aang when he suggested they fly down to have a look.

Ashlynn's heart sank as they set foot upon the ash-littered ground. The trees were burnt to a crisp, and there were no animals to be seen.

"Fire Nation- How could anyone do this? This is just cruel and pointless and flat out terrible," Sokka shouted when he saw the Fire Nation foot prints nearby the destroyed land.

Katara and Ashlynn both hushed his angry shouts so that they could comfort Aang without Sokka interrupting. "I don't understand... how could they do this?" Aang sighed as he sat in the dirt.

"This will get better Aang. We're going to the North Pole to find you a teacher. You'll be able to stop this in no time," Katara reassured him.

"Yeah but he's a water bending teacher... There's no one to teach me how to be the Avatar," Aang said, and got quieter with each word. "Well, water bending is one way to start learning," Ashlynn said.

"Monk Kiatso told me that Avatar Rouku would help me..." Aang pondered aloud. "But he died over a hundred years ago," Sokka said. Ashlynn flashed him a look of warning, telling him to stop ruining Aang's fragments of hope.

"We should take a moment to rest up," Ashlynn suggested. Katara nodded, and went to unpack food for the group. Ashlynn sat down by Appa, and watched the group. Sokka sat down on the other side of Appa, and Aang stayed in the dirt pile he sat on.

A few minutes later, Katara brought a few slices of bread over to Ashlynn. "Thanks Katara. Hey, look at Momo. I think he's digging up some... acorns," Ashlynn said, and took a bit out of the bread. "Wow, thanks for noticing that. That's definitely a way to cheer Aang up," Katara exclaimed, and dropped the tray of bread she held.

Ashlynn chuckled as Katara went to show Aang how the acorns would re-grow into trees, thus bringing the clearing to life again.

Ashlynn stopped taking bites out of the piece of bread she held when she heard footsteps behind her. Her and Sokka stood up and turned around to face whoever approached them. The approached was an elderly man, who paid no attention to Ashlynn or Sokka, and ran right to Aang.

"Who are you?!" Sokka shouted and ran after him. "I knew it! I knew when I saw the flying bison the Avatar would be with it. I didn't believe it was possible, but it is! Will you come with me? My village is in desperate need of you help!" the old man begged. Aang looked to Katara, and she nodded. "Of course we'll help," Aang responded.

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_Ugh... it's no wonder these people need our help. Their village is a wreck.__  
_  
Ashlynn groaned to herself as she walked through the chaos that was the old man's village. Every house was in ruins aside from a large building at the end of the path they were walking on. The old man led the group inside that building where some people greeted them.

"So the rumors are true, the Avatar has returned!" one man said. "Yep... that's me!" Aang smiled. "So, is there anything we can do to help?" Sokka said after an awkward moment of silence.

"I'm not exactly sure..." the man replied and looked away as doubt filled the emotions on his face. "He's the Avatar. He's our only hope," another man argued. "You're right..." the man replied.

"For the past few days, at sunset, a spirit comes and attacks our village," one elderly man said. "What? Why?" Ashlynn asked, thoroughly interested in the situation. "We have no idea... But each time he takes one of our people hostage, and we grow more and more fearful because the Winter Solstice is near," the man replied.

"What happens then?" Katara asked. "The Winter Solstice is an event where the spirit world and our world basically come into contact," Ashlynn explained to Katara. Ashlynn had once read a little about the Winter Solstice in a book at a fire nation library, and so knew some things about it.

The man talking to them nodded. "And this spirit has already caused enough destruction before hand... And once the Solstice is here, there will be no way to know what will happen, and if it will be any worse than it already is."

"Well... What exactly do you want ME to do?" Aang asked, already doubting his abilities. "You're the only one who could have any chance of correcting this problem. You're the Avatar, the bridge between man and spirit," the man who had guided the group there said.

"Hey- Aang? Let's talk over here a moment. Excuse us," Katara said, and guided Aang, Sokka, and Ashlynn over to a corner where they could discuss the matter in private.

"Aang... You don't seem so sure of yourself," Katara said. "Yep... Because I know absolutely nothing about the spirit world," Aang said and sported an innocent smile. "You're joking, right? The bridge between the two worlds knows nothing of the spirit world?" Sokka asked with his usual hint of sarcasm. "Well... I don't exactly have anyone to teach me these things," Aang said in his defense.

"Humph. If Iroh were here I'm sure you'd be able to learn anything you needed to know in just a short amount of time," Ashlynn said as she crossed her arms and leaned against a wall. "Yeah, as if we need help from Fire Nation scums," Sokka rolled his eyes. "Hey! You're talking about me here," Ashlynn argued.

"Guys, relax. None of that matters right now. Right now all we need is for Aang to look into trying to save these people," Katara said, stopping the heated argument. "Yeah, I got to try," Aang said, and looked over at the small group of people left in the village.

"Yeah... we're all going to get eaten by a spirit monster," Sokka said.

----------------------------------------------------------

For the remainder of the day, the group sat inside the building and waited for sundown. Ashlynn had a small bit to eat, and rested a little, but otherwise just sat in silence. When the sun started to set, Aang took a deep breath and stepped outside to greet the spirit monster.

"This isn't right, he shouldn't have to face this thing on his own," Sokka said as he and Katara and Ashlynn watched Aang from a window. "I can go stand nearby him if it'll make you feel better," Ashlynn shrugged. "Right, the Fire Nation 'wanted criminal' who can't fire bend or even wield a sword," Sokka said sarcastically. "I can too! I---" Ashlynn went to argue when Katara, once again, shut them up from their argument.

"Aang is coming back. Maybe he got rid of it," Sokka said and Ashlynn looked out the window to confirm that Aang had turned around and was walking back to the building.

"No... He hasn't. Look there!" Ashlynn exclaimed, and ran outside. At the end of the path, the giant black-and-white spirit had emerged from the forest and was stalking Aang. Ashlynn tried yelling to Aang to turn around, but he paid no attention.

Eventually, Aang turned around, and Ashlynn watched as the spirit roared in Aang's face, casting a beam of light down upon him, and began to run towards the building.

"Ashlynn, get back inside!" Sokka shouted from the window. "No, you said so yourself that Aang needed our help," Ashlynn said as she decided whether or not to run after Aang, who was chasing the spirit as it destroyed buildings on either side of the main path.

"The Avatar is the only one who can stop it, now come inside!" a man shouted. Ashlynn grunted, and turned around and ran through the doors, shutting them tightly behind her.

"Aang will do everything he can to make sure it stops, I know it," Katara reassured the group. As she said this, the spirit monster grasped Aang with its monstrous hand, and chucked him against the roof of another building.

"Alright, that does it. Ashlynn was right, we need to help him," Sokka said, and, ignoring the pleas of Katara and the villagers, ran after the monster and Aang. "Well he could've said something sooner..." Ashlynn said, and ran after Sokka.

"Sokka, Ashlynn, go back!" Aang shouted at them. "No, we need to help," Ashlynn said as she caught up to them. "I don't want to fight him... I just---" Aang began to say, but was interrupted as the spirit grasped Sokka and ran off into the forest again. Aang immediately ran after it, and Ashlynn followed Aang slowly.

------------------------------------------------------------

Ashlynn followed the tracks of the beast and the trail of wind that Aang made back into the burnt clearing they'd first arrived to. She watched as Aang grasped Sokka's hand and tried to tug him free. She watched as the beast and Sokka suddenly vanished into thin air. She watched Aang hit a tree, and then vanish into thin air as well.

Ashlynn came to a stop at the foot of the clearing to catch her breath. She searched frantically with her eyes, hoping to see Sokka or Aang. When she was sure she couldn't see them, she ran further into the clearing to search for any remnants indicating they were still there.

First she ran to the tree that Aang bumped into, and saw that there were neither tracks nor indications that he'd actually bumped into the tree. There were no tracks showing that a ferocious beast had just stopped through the clearing, either.

"Aang, Sokka... Where are you?!" Ashlynn cried out. She shouted their names over and over again for the next hour, and eventually admitted defeat and leaned against the tree. "Man... what am I supposed to do..." Ashlynn pondered to herself as she tossed a small stick a few feet ahead of her.

_"Oh come on Zuko, you really don't want HER to play, do you?" "Yes, I really do want her to play! It's more fun when she plays..." "But she's terrible, and boring. How can you possibly find her to be a fun playmate?"__  
_  
_Ashlynn surveyed an argument between Zuko and Azula from afar. At only nine years old and Azula had already turned bad. Mai and Ty Lee stood behind Azula for support, while Zuko stood in front of Ashlynn to defend.__  
_  
_"If you won't let her join, then I won't play with any of you!" Zuko demanded. "Fine, then run along and play with your boring girlfriend," Azula said, and turned to face Mai and Ty Lee. Together, the three of them walked off to play whatever devious game they had in mind.__  
_  
_"Thanks for sticking up for me Zuko, but I don't really want to play with Azula. I don't really like her," Ashlynn said quietly so Azula wouldn't overhear. "Yeah... I don't really like her much either. Hey, want to go feed some ducks with me?"__  
_  
Ashlynn smiled as she remembered the many times her and Zuko had fed the ducks together. Her heart sank as she felt the longing to be with him again.

_I wish he would listen to Iroh already. He really is good... He just... Doesn't show it like he used to... I wish he would to prove to everyone that he is good...___

Ashlynn fell asleep propped up against the tree, thinking of times when Zuko acted well.

------------------------------------------------------

"Ashlynn... Ashlynn, wake up!"

Ashlynn groaned and adjusted her eyes to the morning light. Aang stood above her with wide and curious eyes. "Did you wait out here all night for me?" Aang asked. "No I... I fell asleep..." Ashlynn said as she rubbed her eyes.

"You'll never guess what happened to me!" Aang exclaimed. "Did you find Sokka?" Ashlynn asked as she stood up. "I... no..." Aang said, and hung his head.

"Don't worry, you'll find him. You can tell me all about what happened while we... make our way back to the village... How about that," Ashlynn said. Aang grinned, and nodded.

As they walked back through the forest, Aang retold Ashlynn the story of how he somehow got into the spirit world, and was picked up by Avatar Rouku's dragon. Aang described how the dragon took Aang to a chamber where he'd be able to converse with Rouku, but only on the Winter Solstice.

"Looks like we'll have to stick around for the Solstice then," Ashlynn said. "Yeah... But I need to find Sokka first," Aang said firmly.

Ashlynn nodded, and watched as Katara ran to greet them when they walked up to the main building of the village. "Did you find Sokka?" Katara asked hopefully. Aang shook his head. Katara lowered hers for a moment, then perked up and reassured Aang that he'd find Sokka soon enough.

As they walked inside, the sun began to set.

------------------------------------------------------

After a bite to eat, Aang stepped outside once again to confront the oncoming of the spirit monster. He, once again, walked to the edge of the path and waited. After a half hour of patient waiting, he turned around and began to walk back, defeated.

Yet again, as soon as he turned his back, the monster appeared. It immediatly began wrecking homes again. Aang, without thinking, jumped before the creature and stood between it and the main building that it was prepared to destroy.

"...I realize what's upset you now! You're the spirit of this forest... And you're upset because your forest got burnt down," Aang explained half to himself and half to the people inside the building.

Ashlynn winced as she remembered watching the fire nation burn down several forests.

"I was upset too, but then my friend gave me hope that it would grow again. You see?" Aang said, and presented the acorn Katara had given him earlier. The creature surveyed it for a moment, then carefully took it from Aang's hand, and walked back towards the forest. As it entered the forest, it transformed into it's true self... a panda bear... and produced a clump of bamboo trees at the foot of the forest. From that bundle of bamboo trees, the captive people emerged.

"Sokka," Katara cried, and ran after her brother. Ashlynn and Aang both followed. "What happened..." Sokka muttered. "You were taken into the spirit world," Katara explained. Sokka nodded, agreeing that that's probably the reason for him feeling the way he felt.

"Guys... I found a way to contact Rouku," Aang said. "That's great Aang!" Katara exclaimed. "How'd you manage that one?" Sokka asked.

"Well... When I went into the spirit world---" Aang began to explain. "You were in the spirit world and didn't stop to think about saving me? Thanks Aang... thanks," Sokka exclaimed with a hint of annoyance. "I did but then Roku's dragon picked me up and took me to a place where I could contact Rouku!" Aang yelled back. Sokka then shut himself up.

"Anyways... I just need to wait for the Solstice to talk to him. I know it's tomorrow... And the biggest problem is... This place where I talk to Rouku is in the Fire Nation..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.  
_

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

"Looks like Aang is trying to sneak off without us," Ashlynn pointed out.

It was the dead of night, and everyone within the small village was piled up in one of the few remaining houses. Aang had snuck off moments before, but he wasn't quick enough for Ashlynn not to miss.

"Come on, we'd better go convince him not to leave. Least, not without us," Sokka said.

A few villagers follow the three friends and Momo outside to where Aang was tugging on Appa in an attempt to make him fly and take him to the fire nation.

"Aang, Appa isn't going to go. Maybe he knows it's dangerous to go to the fire nation alone. We're not letting you go, Aang. You could get seriously hurt, and the world would be more devastated without you," Katara explained.

"But the solstice is tomorrow, and I need to be at that island to talk to Rouku about my vision before I miss what could be my only chance," Aang complained as he hopped on top of Appa and grabbed the reins. Sokka, Katara, and Ashlynn all ran in front of Appa to keep him from leaving.

"Aang, you're not leaving… At least, not without us," Sokka smiled. Aang thought about it for a moment, then smiled and nodded in agreement. So, the rest of Aang's companions mounted Appa as well. After doing so, a villager handed Aang some supplies and wished him luck. With that, he said "Yip yip!" and Appa flew off.

* * *

It was midday before anyone was spotted below the flying bison. As Aang flew Appa through the clouds over fire nation waters, a steam ship was spotted trailing them from behind.

"Aang, the ship behind us is gaining speed real fast!" Sokka exclaimed.

"It's Zuko!' Ashlynn explained when she spotted her old friend; his red scar unmistakable.

"Yeah, and he's about to shoot a flaming rock at us; Aang, we got to move!" Sokka shouted. "Right, I'm on it!" Aang said, and turned the reins on Appa. Appa narrowly escaped the fireball, minus the crisping of a few hairs of his coat.

"Guys, we've got an even bigger problem. There's a blockade in front of us," Aang said. There wasn't much time to decide on what to do, so they decided upon running right through the blockade… Otherwise they wouldn't reach the crescent shaped island in time for Aang to speak with Rouku.

"Least this will hopefully rid us of Zuko," Katara said in hopes of brightening the moment.

"They're about to shoot! Ready yourselves," Ashlynn said. Even with her warning, the oncoming of multiple flaming rocks at once was still a shock to the group. Appa guided his way through them as if they were a maze. He managed to avoid being hit directly, but was still suffering small burns on his fur coat.

Aang flew Appa up through the clouds, where cover was an advantage, but lack of sight was at the disadvantage. Another array of flaming rocks flew up through the clouds, one skidding Appa's side. Aang quickly turned Appa to the right, not giving the group enough time to grasp onto something.

Ashlynn rolled off the side of the saddle and screamed as she grasped onto a stray strand of rope on the side of the saddle. She planted her feet flat on Appa's side to try and maintain balance.

At the same time, Sokka rolled backwards and fell off Appa completely and plummeted into the clouds below.

"Sokka," Aang and Katara shouted in unison. Aang veered Appa to the right again, turning him back towards where Sokka had fallen. Ashlynn lost her foot balance and began swinging back and forth from the rope she was grasping.

Aang flew Appa underneath the falling Sokka, and Katara grasped a hold of his arm and dragged him back into the saddle. After Sokka caught his breath he noticed Ashlynn grasping onto her life, and he leaned over the side of the seat to grasp her arms and pull her up and back over the seat.

As she was being tugged back into the saddle, another flurry of rocks was fired at the group. Aang veered Appa again, which sent Ashlynn and Sokka rolling onto the other side. Ashlynn heard Sokka groan as she fell into his chest and gut, knocking the wind out of him. She tried to scramble up next to Katara as Aang turned Appa once more to avoid the final rocks of the last shooting.

When Ashlynn looked up she saw that Appa was head level with the blockade, flying right at the lead ship. She heard the "Fire!" signaling their now inescapable death or capture.

Then, Aang jumped from Appa's head, and with full force blasted a strong wind right through the rock, breaking it into several pieces that flew past Appa. He then fell back onto Appa, and was momentarily dazed.

Then, Appa flew past the engine ships and made it safely away from them without being shot at anymore.

"Wow, we made it into the fire nation…" Sokka said with disbelief. "Yep, that should be the worst part of it. There shouldn't be any more blockade attacks from here to the island," Ashlynn reassured them.

As Appa completed the smooth sailing, Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn rested up and tended to their wounds. "I hope I didn't hurt you too terribly Sokka," Ashlynn giggled as she combed a knot in her hair with her fingers.

"Are you kidding? I'd take having the wind knocked out of me over plummeting to uncertain death in the waters below any day," he laughed in response. "Yeah, really... That was a close one," Katara sighed.

Ashlynn shot one more smile at Sokka before she rolled over and fell asleep.

"It's getting pretty late," Ashlynn heard Katara say.

Ashlynn opened her eyes, and saw that the sun was low in the sky, giving the surrounding area a yellow and pink tint to it.

"Wait, there it is! That's the island Rouku took me to!" Aang exclaimed. Ashlynn sat up and looked ahead, and nodded with confirmation. "I think Rouku lived on that island for some time," she explained, trying to recall any history she had learned in fire nation schooling.

Aang landed Appa behind a small, blackened hill that hid them from a fire nation temple nearby.

Ashlynn crawled over to the sleeping Sokka and gave him a small nudge. He woke up immediately, and hopped off Appa and began stretching, more than eager to start fighting some fire nation.

"That's the only building I spotted here, so that must be where Rouku wants me to go," Aang explained and pointed at the nearby temple. "Alright, let's just hope there aren't too many people," Katara sighed.

The group left Appa to rest, and began taking the path up to the temple. As they neared it, they noticed how unnaturally quiet and empty it was.

"I think the fire nation must have abandoned this place a long time ago," Katara said quietly.

"Well, it's almost sundown, so let's go!" Aang said and ran into the temple.

As they neared the center of the temple the group began to walk more quietly.

"Wait, I think I heard something…" Sokka said, and turned around. The rest of the group turned around as well and gasped when they saw several men standing in the hallway, blocking them from the far exit.

"We are the fire sages, guardians of the temple of the Avatar," the man in the front explained. "That's great! I'm the Avatar!" Aang smiled.

"We know," the man said and he, along with two of the other men, shot fireballs at them with their hands.

Aang air bended to disperse the flames, and ordered his companions to run while he held the attackers off. So, Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn turned back around and continued to run into the heart of the temple. After running a bit, Aang popped up from a side door and ordered them to follow him. He turned down a hall where another fire sage was waiting for them.

The group reeled around and ran back the other way, ignoring the man behind them who was asking them to wait.

They ran right into a room that appeared to be a dead end. In the doorway the man from the previous hallway stood still. "Please, I don't want to hurt you. I know why you're here," the man pleaded, and kneeled before Aang.

"Wait, you do?" Aang said in bewilderment. "Yes, you wish to speak to Avatar Rouku. I can take you to him," the man said. He stood up, and moved a lantern on the wall next to him. Behind it was a small switch, in which he fire bended against, which opened a hidden door next to him. "This way," he said, and motioned for them to follow.

He led the group down a long fleet of stairs, which ran down into the heart of the volcano. As he did so, he explained how the fire sages were connected to the temple in spiritual ways. "So that's how you knew I was coming," Aang said.

"Well, not exactly. A few weeks ago the eyes of the statue of Rouku began to glow. It was then that we knew you had returned," the man explained as he led the group onward.

"That must've been while we were at the air temple," Katara said half to herself, half to the man.

"Well, if this is the Avatar's temple, how come the other men attacked me?" Aang asked.

"Things have… changed. They used to serve Rouku directly, and when he died, they waited for the new Avatar to come. But, he never did. So instead of serving the Avatar, they were forced to serve the fire lord."

"Well… thanks for helping me," Aang smiled up at the man.

Ashlynn was secretly grateful the fire sages lived like hermits on the island; she had no desire to be recognized by the fire nation, and be taken back to where she knew she did not belong.

"We're going to follow these stairs to the sanctuary. There, a statue of Rouku will be. When the light hits his eyes, you'll be able to speak with him," the fire sage explained.

At the top of the stairs there rested a sizeable door that appeared to be sealed shut.

"Oh no, the door is shut!" the fire sage explained. "You can open it with fire bending?" Sokka asked. "No… only a fully realized Avatar can open the door, otherwise all of the fire sages have to work together to open it," he said, and hung his head in disappointment.

"Hmm, actually, I think I've got an idea. See these lanterns everywhere? I can make miniature explosives out of them. My dad taught it to me, it's kind of like fake fire bending," Sokka said while lifting a lantern off the wall to examine the burning coal on the inside.

"Wow, this could actually work!" the fire sage exclaimed as Sokka began making small bombs with them.

"The fire sages will hear the explosion, so you need to run in quickly," he explained. Then, he fire bended the fuses and everyone ran for cover.

After the explosion, everyone opened their eyes to see that the explosion hadn't worked, and that the door was still shut.

Aang cried out angrily and air-blasted the door with his glider.

"Actually, Sokka's plan didn't fail after all!" Katara said. "What do you mean? The door didn't open, Katara," Ashlynn said blandly.

"You're right, it didn't…. But it looks like we did. If we all hide, this man can go grab the fire sages and say Aang bust in there. Then, together, they can open the door and then we can go in there."

"I've got to hand it to you Katara, you're a genius," Aang smiled.

"Come quick, fire sages! The Avatar is inside the sanctuary!" the man said, calling the other fire sages to him. "How do you know?" they pondered.

"Look at the scorch marks within the tubes," he explained. "You're right, the Avatar is inside! Open the door!"

Together, the fire sages blast their fire bending through the large tunnels of the door, unlocking it and opening the pathway into the sanctuary. Before them sat Momo, who had crawled through one of the tubes previously.

"We've been tricked!" the men shouted. Just then, Katara and Sokka and Ashlynn jumped out and pulled bags over the heads of the fire sages. After they were secure, Katara shouted at Aang to go.

From afar, Zuko could be seen forcing Aang along. It was clear that he had Aang bound in ropes.

"The Avatar is coming with me," he said with a sneer.

"Zuko," Ashlynn shouted at him. She then let go of her grasp on the fire sage and went to charge at Zuko. However, the freed fire sage tore off the hood around his head and groped at the air in front of him, trying to catch Ashlynn. He managed to grab a chunk of her hair, and tugged on it with all his might, throwing her backwards into the floor. She cried out in pain as the back of her head collided with the ground.

At the same time, the other fire sages freed themselves of their bonds and bound Sokka, Katara, and the traitor fire sage instead. Zuko commanded that they close the door, to keep Aang from entering the sanctuary.

Before the doors closed completely, Aang shoved Zuko and then air blasted him with his feet. Zuko fell over, and Aang took the opportunity to charge back at the closing doors. Just as they snapped shut, Aang landed within the confined walls of the sanctuary.

"He made it!" Katara said, and then gasped as a glowing light shot through the cracks in the walls from within the chamber.

The fire sages let go of their grasp on their captured enemies, and worked with Zuko to open the sealed door with their fire bending. However, the bending no longer had an effect on the door, and it remained sealed. "Why isn't it working?" Zuko shouted impatiently.

"It was that light," Ashlynn said, standing up, while glaring at Zuko. "Rouku doesn't want you guys in there," she said more quietly.

Zuko shouted in frustration, and then turned to the traitorous fire sage. "Why did you help him? How could you help the Avatar?" he demanded.

"It's what we did in the past. It is our tradition. It is our duty to serve the Avatar," the man explained.

Then, footsteps could be heard coming from the other hallway.

"Zhao!" Ashlynn growled.

"Well well well… Look what I've caught: A banished prince, the long lost friend who followed him, the Avatar's friends, and a fire sage traitor. I really do wonder what the fire lord will say when you all explain your traitorous acts to him," Zhao said solemnly.

Ashlynn never liked Zhao. Zhao was one of the high ranking commanders of the fire nation troops, and she knew he must have been the one who attacked them in the blockade. Zhao was a proud man, who always put his own line of duty before anyone or anything else.

"You're too late Zhao! The Avatar is inside, and the doors won't open," Zuko shouted as Zhao's followers bound him up. "It doesn't matter, he'll have to come out at some point," he grinned maliciously.

The guards then turned to Ashlynn and began to tie ropes around her hands. "That won't be necessary men, I'm sure Lady Ashlynn won't be any trouble," Zhao said, and walked over to her.

When he was less than an inch away from her, he whispered "You know the Fire Lord will forgive you for leaving the palace to be with Zuko if you ask him for it. You've always been a delight to our nation. Don't give any trouble, and you'll still be able to live like royalty." As he said this, he lightly grasped her chin with one hand.

She slapped his hand away from her and socked him as hard as she could across one cheek with the other hand. "Damn you and your nation. Damn your king, and damn your palace," she said angrily, and spat in his face.

Zhao then backhanded her across the face, and she gasped lightly from the pain. "You will watch your tongue, Lady Ashlynn, if you know what's good for you," he said, and then had her bound.

"Harm her again Zhao, and I'll be sure to end your life without a moment's thought," Zuko growled. Ashlynn looked over at her old friend, and was sad that he was still sticking up for her even after she left him.

Zhao cackled, and said "Men, line up at this door. When the Avatar opens the door, hit him with all you've got."

"Aang won't make it…" Sokka said. "Yeah, we probably won't make it either," Ashlynn said as the remaining guards chained herself, Zuko, Sokka, and Katara to the two pillars nearby.

Then, the glowing light reappeared from with the chamber. Smoke began to fume from the bottom of the large door. With a gust of wind to follow, the doors opened wide. The light from within blinded Zhao and his guards, but he commanded them to fire blast into the open room with all they had. Katara cried out Aang's name right before they released their fire bending.

Then, Zhao stepped back, and from within the room Rouku could be seen, attacking the fire benders while in the Avatar state.

"Rouku…" Ashlynn whispered in awe.

Rouku proceeded to send a wave of fire into the whole room. It knocked back Zhao and his soldiers, and burnt the chains that bound Ashlynn, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, and the fire sage. Zuko didn't think twice before running for the exit. Ashlynn paid no attention to him, and instead looked onward into the sanctuary for any sign of Aang.

"Rouku is going to burn this temple down, we need to go!" the fire sage urged. "Not without Aang!" Katara demanded.

"Listen, we just need to hold out. The solstice should be ending within a moments time and then Rouku will disappear," Ashlynn said. Katara nodded, and the companions hid behind the pillar while Rouku's Avatar form kept blasting the room that was displayed before him. Then, suddenly, he vanished… Leaving a very confused Aang in his place. As the winds died down, Aang collapsed.

"Aang," Katara shouted, and ran to catch him as he fell.

"What? Where'd the sage go?" Aang murmured. Everyone looked around and noticed that the sage had taken a run for the exit. "Come on, we need to get out of here, the whole temple is going to collapse," Sokka explained.

Katara helped Aang up and together the whole group ran out into the main hallway. Behind then, the temple had begun to crumble down the side of the mountain. Before then, the temple was being swallowed by the magma of an erupting volcano. On their side was a window.

"We're done for!" Sokka shouted in terror. "No, we're not. Look!" Ashlynn said and pointed out the window next to them.

Outside the window Appa was waiting for them, almost as if he knew they'd be there. The group hopped, one by one, out the window and on to Appa's back.

Appa then flew away, and carried the companions away from the erupting volcano, to safety in the dead of night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. __  
_

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

"So Aang, you going to tell us what Avatar Rouku said to you while you were in that chamber?" Katara asked as she watched Aang pace back and forth along Appa's back.

Aang sat down, trying to calm his nerves as he explained. "Avatar Rouku told me that I need master all four elements by the end of next summer, because a comet is going to arrive then… And if I haven't defeated the fire lord by then, he will use the comet to destroy the whole planet."

"Wow, that's intense," Ashlynn responded. Aang nodded, and twiddled his thumbs as he continued to try and calm his nerves.

"Listen Aang, you've already got air bending down. The rest of the elements shouldn't be too hard for you, nor should they take very long," Sokka reassured him. "But Sokka- We are still weeks away from the North Pole! I'm not going to be able to learn all of the elements in time!' Aang shouted back at him.

"Aang, you need to calm down. If you want, I can try teaching you what I know," Katara offered. "Really- You'd do that?" Aang asked in bewilderment.

"Yes, I would. But, we need to find a good source of water first," She answered.

"Down there!' Ashlynn said, spotting a waterfall and a large lake at its base in the distance. Sokka turned Appa's reins towards the lake, and landed him several minutes later.

Appa ran right into the lake and sighed with relief as the cool water washed over him. Aang laughed, and began pulling off his clothes so he could go swimming. "Aang, we're here to learn water bending," Katara reminded him. Aang hesitated, then nodded with regret. "We can play later, anyways."

"Sokka and I can give Appa a bath while you guys learn water bending," Ashlynn suggested. "Wait, what? I don't want to clean Aang's pet while they're splashing around that's hardly fair, I shouldn't have to labor while they're having fun!" Sokka complained.

"Oh, Sokka… What else are you going to do? Just lie around? And we're not splashing around; I'm teaching Aang water bending. Ashlynn, it'd be great if you and my brother would give the hard-working Appa a well deserved bath," Katara smiled.

Ashlynn giggled, and grabbed the spare bison scrub-brush they'd carried with them in their luggage. Sokka groaned in disbelief and follow her over to where Appa was basking in the sunlight.

"Hmm, we should get his toes first. Those can't be good," Ashlynn said. Sokka nodded, and crawled up on top of Appa's exposed stomach and motioned for Ashlynn to hand him the scrub brush.

After scrubbing Appa's toes, Ashlynn and Sokka worked together to scrub his tummy. Every so often Appa would let out a satisfied sigh, forcing the two workers to plug their noses to fight back the stench of Appa's breath.

"Ah man, we've been scrubbing all day. I wonder if Aang has learned anything cool yet," Ashlynn pondered, and turned to look at the avatar and his water-bending teacher. Just then, Aang built a wave up, and sent it soaring over Appa and the campsite they'd set up. The force of the water knocked Ashlynn and Sokka right off Appa's stomach and into the lake. It also washed their supplies down the river.

"That's… enough practice for today," Katara sighed. "Yeah- Good job Aang, you washed our stuff down the river," Sokka said angrily. "Well, there's got to be a town nearby where we can get more stuff," Aang grinned sheepishly.

The closest town was a pirate trading facility. It was rundown, and stank of fish. Each of the citizens looked rugged, and unkind.

"Look, we don't have a lot of money so let's spend it wisely and get out of here," Katara said, and glared at Aang for buying an animal whistle without the group knowing till' he produced it.

The group wandered amongst the stores, trying to find one that suited what they were looking for, and suited their price range as well. As they skimmed the docks where pirate ships were anchored, a seller came and requested that they looked amongst his shop. Aang was only too eager to follow the man into one of the pirate ships, which appeared to be his shop.

Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn followed and looked around his shop, which appeared to be filled with antiques. Katara was thrilled when she spotted a water-bending scroll nestled in a miniature scroll-holding bookcase.

"Wow, this is amazing! Where did you get this?" Katara said, looking at the moves the scroll presented. A second pirate emerged from the darker confinements of the ship, and responded with a cackle. "If you're looking to buy that missy, you'd best be running off. We already got a buyer, unless you want to put buy him with 200 gold pieces," the pirate cackled.

"We should leave soon," Ashlynn whispered to Sokka whilst Aang haggled a price to get the scroll. "I don't know, I want to look at their boomerang collection," Sokka whispered back excitedly.

"Come on guys, let's go," Katara demanded, and dragged Sokka and Aang and Ashlynn out of the shop. "What? Katara, I wanted to look at the boomerang's…" Sokka sighed disappointedly.

"I'll just feel better when we get back to camp," Katara said, rubbing her arms as if she were cold.

"Hey, you kids!" one of the pirates shouted as the team trotted away from the ship. "Hey, maybe they want to trade for that scroll now!' Aang said, and turned around to greet the pirate. However, as the team turned around, several other pirates flooded into the area, and cut them off. "You kids aren't going anywhere," one of the pirates sneered, and every pirate protruded a weapon.

"We need to get out of here, they aren't here to trade," Ashlynn said. The team agreed, and they all turned around and began to run from the ambushing pirates.

The pirates chased the group right into an alley way, which signaled a dead end. The head pirate pointed his dagger at the group, and cackled a threat in their direction. He then thrust his arm forward, and threw the dagger at them. To deflect it, Aang sent a gust of wind flying in the direction of the pirates. The dagger, along with the pirates, flew backwards and into the main street.

"Guys, grab onto me, I'm going to fly us out of here," Aang said as he opened the wings of his glider. Katara and Sokka quickly grabbed onto Aang's legs, and Ashlynn wrapped her arms around Sokka's waist as Aang took off.

Back at the camp, everyone sat for a moment to catch their breath. Appa had hardly budged an inch since they'd left.

"I usually look up to pirates, but those men were just plain mean," Aang said. "Yeah, that's why I took this!" Katara said, and showed them the water bending scroll from before.

"No way,' Aang said, and grinned as he saw Katara open the scroll. "Well, it's no wonder they were trying to kill us… You stole their stuff!" Sokka shouted at his sister. "Sokka, it's only probable that those pirates stole this scroll from a water bender. It's only fair that I take it back!' Katara defended herself.

"It doesn't matter Katara. You put our lives in danger. We could have been killed!" Sokka scolded her.

"Well we're all going to die anyways if Aang doesn't learn how to bend all the elements. You know how crucial it is for him to learn these techniques!" Katara shouted back.

Ashlynn sighed in annoyance.

"Whatever…" Sokka said, and walked off to be alone.

"Well, we've already got it. So, we might as well learn from it," Aang said. Katara nodded happily, and together they walked off to go learn the new techniques they'd found. Ashlynn looked off in Sokka's direction, and thought for a moment about going to cheer him up. She decided upon it, and followed his trail.

Sokka was propped up against a tree with his eyes shut. Ashlynn went and sat down next to him.

"You know, you shouldn't be so down. We got back in here in one piece, and that's something to think positive about," Ashlynn said with a quiet laugh to fill in the awkwardness. "I guess so," Sokka responded without opening his eyes.

"Hey, why don't we go watch them? Those are advanced techniques, and they're bound to suck at it," Ashlynn suggested. Sokka opened one eye and peered at her. He thought for a moment, and then nodded. Together, they stood up and walked over to where Katara and Aang were practicing.

Aang was holding the scroll open for Katara as she tried to teach herself a move named 'the water whip'. On her first attempt she accidently whipped herself. Sokka laughed in enjoyment.

"Aang, you've got gimped. Katara didn't get the scroll for you, she only got it for herself," Sokka explained.

Katara growled at Sokka. "Aang can have his turn once I've learned the water whip…"

Katara tried again, and this time accidently whipped Momo. She let out an angry cry, and began cursing her inability to perfect the move so quickly.

"Don't worry Katara, you'll get it down. You just need to shift your weight, like this," Aang said, and after one try perfected the water whip. Katara, now ticked off beyond reason, shouted back at Aang, cursing his ability to be so perfect while she was stuck being amateur.

"Why don't we just throw the stupid thing away? You're so naturally talented, so you don't even need the scroll," Katara finished. Ashlynn and Sokka exchanged nervous glances, and then glared at Katara, telling her that she was over the top.

Katara glared back, then looked at Aang and saw him quivering.

"Oh my- Aang, I'm so sorry. Here, you can have the scroll. I didn't mean to get out of hand like that," Katara said, and gave Aang the scroll.

"It's alright Katara," Aang said as he took the scroll.

Later that night, after Aang and Sokka had fallen asleep, Ashlynn heard Katara get up. She remained motionless, letting Katara think she was still asleep. When Katara had left the area, with the scroll, Ashlynn got up and followed her trail to the riverside.

Katara was continuing to practice the water whip, and each time she failed she cursed her failure again and again.

"Katara," Ashlynn said, making it clear she was there.

"What? Oh, Ashlynn… I…" Katara stuttered, trying to make up an excuse as to why she was out there with the scroll.

"It's alright Katara, I won't tell," Ashlynn said. Katara nodded a thank you, and together the two sat down to work out Katara's stress.

"I'm just so envious. Aang is so perfect and he learns everything so quickly. I mean, he got everything on his first try… And I'm still here struggling…" Katara said.

"When I was younger, I used to participate in the fire nation schooling talent shows. Mostly, it was just kids who competed in fire bending. Whoever had the cooler moves usually won. I was never gifted with fire bending. One year I decided to use flame-colored ribbons, and do a dance that would look like I was fire bending," Ashlynn said, recalling the memory as best she could.

"Turns out, one of the other kids who couldn't fire bend as well was doing the same thing as I. So for me, instead of it becoming a competition to win the talent show, it became a competition to be the better ribbon dancer."

"Did you win?" Katara asked.

Ashlynn smiled. "I practiced every day. I would go home, to the palace, and watch Zuko fire bend. I'd try and copy his techniques with the ribbon. On the day of the show, I tripped and sprained an ankle."

Katara winced, imagining the emotional and physical pain Ashlynn must have had.

"I didn't get to perform. However, I didn't stop that hobby either. I continued to practice til' I got real good at it. It became a kind of game between Zuko and I. It felt good to know that even though I wasn't a fire bender, I could still do something that other people couldn't do," Ashlynn finished.

"Why are you telling me this?" Katara questioned.

"Aang is the Avatar. He's always going to be better at this. He's always going to learn it faster, and have better reflexes. Yes, you'll learn slowly, and you'll get hurt in the process, but someday you'll be a water bending master. You just have to keep it up," Ashlynn said.

Katara realized the relationship between her struggle and Ashlynn's story. "Thank you," she nodded, and stood back up to practice more.

Then, an iron clanking was heard from nearby. Ashlynn stood up, and motioned for Katara to follow. Together, they hid behind a bush, and peered through at the river. Coming up the river, towards them, was the pirate ship.

Katara gasped. "We have to go get Aang!"

Katara stood up from the bush, and turned back towards camp. At the same time, the two of them sprinted. Katara bumped into a pirate, and Ashlynn bumped right into the unexpected Zuko.

"Ashlynn," Zuko angrily greeted her, and grasped her wrists as they flew up in a natural reaction to shield her face.

Zuko forced Ashlynn to turn around, and he bound her hands. At the same time, the pirates bound Katara. Both girls were tied to a nearby tree, and were then interrogated.

"Tell me where the avatar is," Zuko demanded.

"How about you go jump in the river and drown first," Katara snarled.

"Zuko set us free. This is mutiny Zuko! You've completely lost your mind!" Ashlynn hissed. "Silence, Ashlynn. You're a traitor to me, and a traitor to your kingdom. You'll be treated like one," Zuko responded.

"Don't tell me you don't care, I know---"Ashlynn started, and was then slapped across the face by a guard pirate in an attempt to silence her. She bit her lip to fight back an oncoming stream of tears.

"Now, in case you don't understand my position, I'm trying to capture the Avatar to regain something I've lost… my honor," Zuko explained to Katara.

"Perhaps, if you tell me where he is, I can give you something you've lost," Zuko offered, and held up Katara's lost necklace.

"My necklace," Katara gasped.

"Enough of this- You promised us the scroll," the head pirate demanded. Zuko showed him the scroll, and threatened to burn it. "You help me find what I am looking for, and I'll give you back your stupid scroll," Zuko said. The pirate leader gasped, and then reluctantly nodded, not wanting the valuable scroll to be burned.

"Search the woods for the boy, and then meet me back here," Zuko ordered. The pirates nodded, and then scattered to the inner forestry, leaving Zuko and his body guards with Ashlynn and Katara.

Katara noticed Ashlynn was quivering, and saw a few stray tears run down her face. After a few moments of silence, Katara spoke.

"How can you treat her like this? She was your best friend. I find it hard to believe, but she was. She was loyal to you, she followed you. Why would you treat someone like that… like this?" Katara shouted at Zuko.

"Loyal? Let's say someone in your petty water tribe had stolen this necklace, and your brother teamed up with them to keep you from getting it back, would you call him a faithful brother?" Zuko explained.

"This is so entirely different, Zuko! This is abuse. You sat back and watched one of those men hurt her. You allowed that to happen, and---"

"Katara, stop," Ashlynn muttered, hanging her head. Katara bit her lip to hold back more things she had to say to Zuko.

Zuko glanced regrettably at his old friend, and then turned his back on her.

When the sun had just begun to rise, the pirates returned with Zuko and Aang.

"Oh, Aang... I'm so sorry, this is all my fault," Katara said.

"Now," the pirate leader said, "hand over the scroll."

Sokka burst out laughing. "You're handing over the Avatar for a stupid scroll? You've got to be joking."

"The Avatar?" one of the pirates question. "Yep, and I'll bet he's worth a heck of a lot more than that puny scroll," Sokka responded.

"Shut your mouth, you water tribe peasant," Zuko ordered.

"You can keep the scroll… We'll get a hundred with the price this kid will sell for," the pirate leader said.

"You'll regret you ever said that," Zuko muttered, and together he and his guards sent trails of fire in the direction of the pirates. Together, the pirates evaded the attack, and three smoke bombs in the area, clouding their positions. While the pirates and the fire benders were fighting amidst the smoke, Momo crawled down from a tree and chewed through the ropes that tied Katara and Ashlynn.

"Thanks Momo," they said in unison, and ran towards the heat of battle.

On the other side of the smoke cloud, Sokka and Aang had emerged. Katara ran past them, and ordered them to follow her. On the side closest to Ashlynn, Zuko and the pirate captain were having a one on one battle. Ashlynn charged at the group and let out an angry cry as she did so.

She ran right into Zuko and shoved him over with all her might to get back at him for earlier. As she did so, the pirate captain's blade came down upon her, and cut a mark from the base of her neck and trailed down her back to her right side. She screamed in pain, then wearily got up and ran after Sokka, Katara, and Aang. The adrenaline kept her mind off her new wound.

Katara and Aang were water bending the pirate's ship off the shore and into the river.

"Everybody in," Katara demanded. Aang and Katara ran up the ramp into the ship. Ashlynn stumbled, and fell on one knee. Sokka gasped, and lifted one of her arms around his shoulder.

"Help, she's hurt!' Sokka said as he slowly helped her up into the ship.

Aang quickly set a path for the boat down the river, and then joined Katara and Sokka in trying to stop the bleeding from Ashlynn's wound.

"We're in trouble," Aang said, and pointed behind them. Ashlynn sat up, and looked around with everyone else. Zuko's steam ship was being commandeered by the pirates, and was headed straight for the ship.

"I'll be alright guys, it's just a scratch," Ashlynn said, and stood up. Sokka tossed her his club, and pulled out his boomerang. "Go sit in a corner, and use that to defend yourself," Sokka ordered as the steam ship caught up to the pirate ship. One by one, the pirates hopped onto their ship and began assaulting the group.

Aang and Katara worked together to use water bending on the pirates, washing them off the ship and into the river. Ashlynn thrust the club at any pirate who got too close to her. She cried in pain each time as she felt the wound split further each time she lifted her arms.

Ashlynn scouted the regions around the ship, and saw that the ship was ready to float down a waterfall that led to certain death. "We got to get off this ship you guys," Ashlynn shouted. Everyone noticed the waterfall, and began working harder to find a way off the ship.

Aang blew on his animal whistle, and then ordered Katara to help him stop the boat with water bending.

"It's working Aang! The ship is stopping!" Katara said.

Ashlynn sighed with relief as their water bending stopped the ship right at the peak of the waterfall.

"That's great, but we have another problem," Sokka said, and pointed behind the ship, where the steam ship was floating right towards them. Before they could do anything, the steam ship rammed into the pirate ship head on, and tossed the ship on its side.

Ashlynn, Sokka, Katara, and Aang all lost their balance and fell off the ship and began to plummet down to the water below. As they fell, preparing for sudden death, Appa flew in. It was clear he'd heard Aang's animal whistle.

Saving them once again, Appa flew underneath them and caught the group upon his back. He then carried them away into the sky, leaving Zuko and his Uncle Iroh and their guards behind.

"Aang… I still owe you an apology," Katara said later that day as Appa continued to fly them through the sky. Ashlynn listened intently, feeling better now that the group had wrapped her torso in thick bandages to help heal the wound.

"You were just so good at water bending… I got competitive, and I put us all in danger… I'm sorry."

"It's alright Katara."

"Besides, who needs that scroll anyways," Katara grinned.

"Is that really how you feel?" Sokka said, and pulled out the scroll and waved it around in Katara's face.

"The scroll," Katara exclaimed, and reached for it.

"Wait wait, what did you learn?" Sokka asked. "Stealing is wrong," Katara said without hesitation. Sokka smiled, and handed her the well deserved scroll.

"…Unless it's from pirates," Katara joked. Aang laughed, and for the moment, Ashlynn was happier than she'd been within those past few days.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

Ashlynn was grateful when Aang landed Appa in a secluded portion of a dense forest. The team unloaded for the day, needing a break from the previous encounters with various enemies. Ashlynn, especially, needed to rest so she didn't tear the wound on her back. After resting for a few hours, Aang noticed the absence of a team member.

"Where'd Momo go?"

As he questioned Momo's disappearance to the group, the cries of the furry companion sounded through the trees from several yards away. Together, the team traced their way to where Momo was being held captive in an animal trap that was hoisted high into the air. Several other animals were caught in identical traps as well.

"Here, I'll cut them down," Sokka said as he withdrew his boomerang. He took a moment to angle it correctly, and then threw the boomerang with a light force. The weapon curved swiftly through the ropes the traps were being held by. Each trap fell down, one after the other, and landed safely on the ground below. Aang and Katara opened the traps and set the captured creatures free.

"Those look like fire nation traps," Sokka said as he replaced his weapon behind his back.

"Well, then we should pack up our things and move to a safer area," Katara said.

"Yeah, and let's not fly this time. Appa is too noticeable," Sokka said. Ashlynn agreed, which put a stop to any protests that Katara and Aang might've had. "Fine, we'll walk," Aang said with a trace of annoyance.

"Sokka, since when do you get all bossy? I mean, it should be Aang's decision, he's the Avatar," Katara protested after a moment. Ashlynn sighed with irritation.

"My instincts just tell me that we should walk. Zuko keeps finding us because they see Appa in the sky, so let's just try it."

"Yeah, walking might be fun anyways!" Aang said positively.

"Ugh, walking stinks," Aang complained after an hour of trotting through the dank, secluded forestry. Katara kept trying to lighten the mood by picking on Sokka and his 'instincts'. Ashlynn got to sit on Appa's back so she wouldn't tear her wound or bandages by exerting too much energy in a hike.

"Alright guys, seriously. Just try and take this a little more seriously. We're doing this so that we don't run into the fire nation," Ashlynn said, trying to defend Sokka's 'instincts'.

Just as she spoke, the group walked through some brush and right into the camp of some fire nation soldiers. Sokka, Katara, and Aang paused for a moment, then scattered after shouting "run!"

Ashlynn hopped off of Appa and ran with towards the way Sokka was running. Each team member circled around to the other side of the camp, but was cut off by a sudden fire in the brush that a fire bender set. On their other side resided the band of soldiers, who were armed and ready to harm anyone who might try and escape.

"Uh… If you let us through, we'll promise not to hurt you," Sokka offered. The captain of the team laughed a thorough laugh, and responded "You? Hurt us?! Hah!"

Just as he said that, an arrow struck him in the back. Ashlynn, Sokka, Katara and Aang stared at him in disbelief. Even the other soldiers looked shocked.

"Up there!" Ashlynn shouted, noticing men hiding in the branches of the trees that loomed over the scene. She pointed at the one who had shot the captain, and every fire soldier looked up in unison.

One of the tree-warriors drew his weapon, and leapt from his tree branch and landed on the dirt floor below. His weapon of choice appeared to be two swords that curved into hooks at the end, instead of a deadly point. Single-handedly, he took out four nation soldiers in under a minute.

Then, more tree-warriors jumped down from the safety of their branches and began to fight alongside the first man. One remained in the tree, and continued to fire arrows at the fire nation men as they scattered, trying to escape their inevitable death.

Katara and Aang used their bending to help as well, while Sokka tried competing with the man who had first descended from the tree branches. They both appeared to be leaders, and competitive.

Ashlynn crawled behind a tree root and took cover. She regretted not having a decent weapon, or a fully healed body. She vowed then to make finding a good weapon her priority.

In a little over five minutes, the boys from the trees had taken out the whole camp. Sokka, Katara, and Aang had almost no other choice than to sit back and watch, since each of the warriors had had faster reflexes and were able to take out the enemies in a much swifter and effective maneuver.

The leader of the group ran right up to Katara after the battle, and Ashlynn rolled her eyes as she read the boy's body language. It was obvious he already had a thing for her.

Ashlynn stood up and joined Sokka and Aang as they walked over to Katara and the leader. "That was amazing! You took out that whole army nearly single-handedly!" Aang applauded.

"Yeah, nice work," Ashlynn agreed with a nod.

"My name is Jet, and these are my freedom-fighters," the leader, Jet, said. He then introduced each of his fellow companions, amounting to five 'freedom-fighters', excluding Jet.

After the introductions, Jet and his team raided through the leftover supplies the army had left behind. Jet and Katara remained off to the side, which Ashlynn assumed would result in some flirting. So, Ashlynn went over and stood next to Sokka, who appeared to be very smug about something.

"What's with you?" Ashlynn said, and playfully punched him in the arm. "That guy," Sokka said with little emotion, ignoring Ashlynn's attempts to cheer him up.

"What's wrong with him? He just saved our lives," Ashlynn said, her eyes popping in surprise.

"There's something about him. He just… I just don't trust him," Sokka said, still with no emotion.

"Well, don't think too hard on it. Your instincts will implode from the concentration," Ashlynn teased, but then frowned when she saw that Sokka still hadn't cheered up.

"Hey Jet," called the smallest of Jet's groups. "These barrels here are filled with blasting jelly, and the crates have jelly candy."

"Great score. We'll take it back to the hideout," Jet replied.

"A hideout," Aang and Ashlynn asked in unison, though Aang had a little more enthusiasm to his voice. "Yeah, we sure do. You want to see it?" Jet offered. "Yes! We want to see it!" Katara said with glee. Jet gave her a soft smile, and then turned around and walked back into the forest.

Jet's 'hideout' was like a fortress built entirely in the trees above. It couldn't be spotted from the ground, so it made a perfect hiding place as well as a sanctuary.

"How do you suppose we get way up there?" Sokka asked.

"Like this. Come here Katara, grab hold of me," Jet said, and pulled Katara into his arms. She blushed as he did this, and then he grabbed hold of a rope that was the only sign that there was anything in the trees above. The rope was then slowly tugged up through the tree leaves, and Jet and Katara went out of sight.

"Wow, that's pretty neat. I can get up there without that though," Aang laughed in Ashlynn and Sokka's direction. Then- he air bended his way up into the treetops.

Sokka sighed. "Come here Ash, I'll carry you up into those trees so you don't tear your bandages…" he said, still smug.

In a less flirtatious manner than Jet's way of holding Katara, Sokka wrapped one arm around Ashlynn as she wrapped both her arms around his waist. Then, as the rope was lowered back down from the trees, Sokka grasped it with his free hand, and together they were tugged back into Jet's fortress.

Ashlynn gaped at the magnificence of Jet's hideout, for it was more spectacular to see than to hear about. There were large buildings, like tree houses, built on the thicker branches of the trees. Each building had narrow bridges connecting them together, giving a simple walkway from one place to another.

The rope brought Sokka and Ashlynn up next to Katara and Jet. "This place is amazing," Ashlynn said, separating herself from Sokka. "Yeah, and most importantly, the fire nation can't find it, or find us. They'd kill to get their hands on me, I'm sure. I give them too much trouble…" Jet said, and began walking across a bridge to another building. Katara, Sokka, Ashlynn, and some of Jet's buddies followed.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked. "Well, like what we did back there. They took over this town we used to live in. So we've been getting back at them with every chance we've had," Jet explained.

"That's so brave!" Katara exclaimed.

"They've totally got the hots for one another," Ashlynn whispered to Sokka, who still looked smug. He gave her a 'no kidding' look, and nodded.

When Katara asked what happened to Jet specifically, he paused in his footsteps. Katara stopped next to him. Sokka made an attempt to stop as well, but Ashlynn grabbed his arm and dragged him along to give Katara and Jet some privacy.

"What, am I not entitled to know what happened to him?" Sokka asked impatiently. "Just let them be," Ashlynn warned. Sokka sighed, and followed her.

Later that evening, supper was served. There were plenty more children hiding within the treetops, so dinner was a hearty meal, filled with laughter and applause. Jet retold their victory to the children who hadn't fought with him that day. Everyone cheered with triumph, and congratulated him.

After his speech, Jet sat down between Katara and Sokka. Ashlynn sat on Sokka's other side, still determined to cheer him up. Aang sat on Katara's other side.

"So I forgot to mention, Aang, Katara… That was some great bending during that battle. Nice work," Jet said with a smile. Ashlynn watched as Sokka's frown turned even smugger when he didn't get a compliment.

"Well, Aang is the Avatar. Of course he's good. I... could use a little more work," Katara blushed.

"That's very cool, being the Avatar. I was actually hoping you two wouldn't mind helping us out in our struggle."

"No, we can't we have to leave tonight," Sokka announced as he stood up, irritated beyond reason.

"Aw Sokka, you got to be joking! I really need you for an important mission tomorrow!" Jet pleaded. Sokka's frown turned to a straight line and his eyebrows rose with interest.

"Well, if you need me THAT bad I guess we can stay for the night…" Sokka said, and sat back down. Jet smiled with a nod, and together the group ate in company without saying another word till they'd finished their food.

"So tell me a little more about yourselves. I haven't even been introduced to her," Jet said, pointing at Ashlynn.

"Oh, this is Ashlynn," Sokka said. Ashlynn gave a small wave, but didn't get too enthusiastic about it so she could avoid a jealous Katara.

"Cool, cool. Nice name," Jet responded.

"Yeah, Ashlynn was part of the fire nation but she's cool she ran away to be with us," Katara explained. Jet didn't say anything to Ashlynn after that.

Jet's very tall and very broad friend Pipsqueak escorted the Avatar's team to a place where they could sleep. It was a building that hadn't been filled up yet, so it was like a personal house for them. Katara thanked Pipsqueak (regretting it hadn't been Jet who had escorted them). When Pipsqueak left, Katara shut the door behind him and turned around to face her friends.

"This is fabulous!" Katara said while clapping her hands together. The corners of her mouth curled up to form a dreamy sigh.

"Whatever. It's not 'fabulous' until I get to do my fair share of work," Sokka said, unfolding his sleeping mat.

"Come on Sokka, lighten up. If we hadn't run into them we'd still be on the dirty floor of the forest, and we'd be more vulnerable to enemies," Aang said, unfolding his sleeping mat as well.

Ashlynn pulled Katara aside while Aang and Sokka conversed to have her look at her wound. She tugged off her shirt, and Katara helped her un-wrap the bandages. "Well, I suppose it could be a lot worse," Katara said as she examined the scabbing. "Just take it easy for another day and that should get rid of any infection threat."

"Is it going to scar you think?" Ashlynn said, turning her head to try and peer over her shoulder at the wound. "It's hard to say, but I'd guess some of it will," Katara responded. Then, Katara helped by applying fresh bandages. When they were finished, they turned back to their sleeping mats and saw that Sokka and Aang had already passed into a weary sleep.

Ashlynn curled up under her own blanket and fell asleep within moments.

Ashlynn awoke in the morning to find that everyone had left. She stood up and departed from the building after a good stretch and some combing through her hair. The smell of breakfast mixed with the smell of dew-dampened trees greeted her outside the building. She trailed back to where supper had been served the previous night, and found some left-over breakfast waiting. No one was in the area, so she sat alone as she listened for the sound of activity.

After she finished eating she tried to guide her way back to where the rope that brought her up into the trees was tied to. During her search she bumped into Katara.

"Hey Katara… Where is everyone?" Ashlynn pondered aloud. "Oh, Jet took Sokka and some of his freedom-fighters out for some fire-nation scouting," Katara said with a dreamy sigh to follow.

"Gee Katara, you really like that kid don't-cha?" Ashlynn teased. Katara blushed. "What? Don't be silly…"

Ashlynn laughed. "Well, where's Aang?"

"Oh… I think he's just off flying through some of the trees," Katara answered. "Well, what do you plan on doing?" Ashlynn inquired. "Just wait till they get back I guess."

Jet and his team returned when the sun was high in the sky. Naturally, Jet went immediately to Katara. Sokka went back to his sulking state, and sat against a building and said nothing to no one.

Ashlynn gave a quick look at Sokka, and then ran after Katara and Jet. "Katara, come with me," Ashlynn ordered subtly. Katara gave Jet a worried stare, and then reluctantly followed Ashlynn, who guided her right to Sokka.

"Talk to him," Ashlynn whispered to Katara. Katara sighed, then walked over to Sokka.

"We're leaving," Sokka said. "What? Why?" Katara and Aang, who'd joined the conversation just as soon as it had stared, asked at the same time.

"Your boyfriend Jet is a thug," Sokka responded.

"What? No he's not!" Katara said, and folder her arms and stared at Sokka angrily. "He's messed up Katara!" Sokka shouted. "I think he just has a different way of life," Aang bumped in.

"I don't know Aang… I don't really like Jet either," Ashlynn input. "Yeah, he is messed up. He beat and robbed a harmless old man!" Sokka explained. Ashlynn's face hardened as she frowned. Even though she'd seen it happen a hundred times, the thought of an old man being beat was almost unbearable to her.

"I want to hear Jet's side of the story," Katara said while tapping her foot impatiently.

Sokka then proceeded to guide them right to Jet, who acted annoyed and disappointed when he had heard that Sokka had spilled what'd happen. "Sokka, did you even mention that the man was fire nation?" Jet said, raising one eyebrow in question. "Well no, but my point wasn't about which nation he was from, it was that he was just a harmless civilian that you abused!" Sokka defended.

"No Sokka, he was an assassin," Jet said, and withdrew a knife that he'd taken from the old man. He unsealed the top of the knife to show that it had a compartment meant for holding a poison that had also been discovered in the knife.

"No," Ashlynn retorted. "Sokka would have noticed if there had been a knife, right Sokka?"

"Yeah, and there was no knife," Sokka said, nodding. "Sokka, I'm sure you just didn't see the knife. I knew this was a misunderstanding, you're being immature," Katara said while raising her voice. "No Katara, there was no knife!" Sokka declared, putting emphasis on each word.

"I'm going back to the hut and I'm packing our bags," Sokka said solemnly, and turned around and exited Jet's cabin. "I'm right behind you," Ashlynn said.

"Figures: fire nation following the fire nation defender. Pathetic," Jet said quietly. Ashlynn shot him a look of resentment, and then followed Sokka.

"Hey Sokka, wait up," Ashlynn called out to him. Sokka slowed down to let her catch up. When she did, she said nothing as they walked in silence.

"Listen, I just want to thank you for sticking up for me," Sokka said, stopping at the door of the hut with their belongings. "Sure- No problem... I don't trust him either," Ashlynn said with a smile. "I also heard what he said about you, and that wasn't right. I'm sorry for however I treated you when you first joined our group," Sokka said without looking at Ashlynn.

"Yeah… sure thing," Ashlynn responded awkwardly. Then, the two of them entered the hut and began packing their bags in silence.

Aang and Katara entered the hut a quarter of an hour later and announced that they simply could not leave Jet and his freedom-fighters yet. "They need our help, Sokka, Ashlynn… The fire nation is about to burn down this forest!" Katara exclaimed.

"No Katara, we need to leave," Ashlynn protested as she finished folding one of the sleeping mats.

"No. You know what this is about? Sokka is just jealous because Jet is a better a smarter fighter," Katara said, and stuck her nose in the air like a snob and gave Sokka the cold shoulder.

"Katara, be reasonable. I'm not jealous of Jet… My instincts just---"

"Well MY instincts say we need to stay here longer. Come on Aang," Katara said, and exited the hut. Aang apologized, and eagerly followed Katara.

"Well, we can't leave without them. Let's just stay for one more night, Sokka," Ashlynn sighed. Sokka's hands curled into tight fists, but he nodded without complaint. Ashlynn gave him a reassuring smile, and helped him set up their sleeping mats again.

Aang and Katara stayed in a different hut that evening. Ashlynn remained loyally by Sokka's side, and didn't leave their original hut. In the midst of a most gloomy night, Sokka shook Ashlynn to wake her up. He put his finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet, but motioned for her to follow.

Ashlynn rubbed her eyes, and awoke quickly. She followed Sokka outside the hut.

"What is it?" Ashlynn whispered. "It's Jet, I heard him and some of his companions walk off," Sokka whispered back. "In what direction," Ashlynn asked, and Sokka responded by pointing up away from Jet's hideout.

Together, Sokka and Ashlynn leapt from tree branch to tree branch, making a descent towards Jet's group.

Jet's group led Ashlynn and Sokka right to a reservoir near a small civilian town outside the forest. Ashlynn and Sokka listened intently to the conversation.

"Now," Jet said, "you guys are not to blow the dam till the reservoir is filled. Otherwise, the fire nation troops could survive," Jet explained. The smallest of his team questioned "what about the civilians?"

"Duke, we have to make sacrifices if we want to rid this world of its evil," Jet said. The Duke nodded regrettably, and looked up at Pipsqueak as Jet ordered him not to blow the dam til' he gave the signal.

"You were right, Sokka," Ashlynn whispered. "Jet is just a thug!"

Sokka nodded, and motioned for Ashlynn to follow him. Just as they moved through the brush, one of Jet's members grabbed them both by their hair and hoisted them into the air. "Hey Jet," said Pipsqueak, whom had been the one to yank them from the floor, "look what I caught."

Jet laughed. "You guys are fools, and you simply don't understand," he said, shaking his head while still chuckling.

Pipsqueak shoved Sokka and Ashlynn to the floor. Ashlynn cried out as she felt some of the scabbing on her shoulder blade tear as she caught herself before her face plummeted into the floor. Sokka put one hand on her shoulder to make sure she was okay, then he looked up at Jet. "We heard your plan to destroy the earth kingdom town. You can't do that Jet, there are innocent people living there!" Sokka pleaded.

"Sokka, didn't you hear that part about sacrifices as well?" Jet asked with joking hint to his tone of voice. "You're insane!" Sokka shouted.

"Jet- You lied to Katara and Aang!" Ashlynn snarled.

"Oh, what would you understand? You're just fire nation scum!" Jet screamed back, and kicked her across the head, forcing her to fall on her side. Sokka watched with horror, and then stood up with a cry of rage and lunged at Jet. Pipsqueak grabbed Sokka by the back of his shirt and forced him back onto the ground.

"This is insane Jet! You can't just abuse her, and you can't up and abuse Aang and Katara either!" Sokka yelled.

"None of them understand the basics of war Sokka. Not like you and I do," Jet sneered.

"No, I understand completely. I understand that you're just a monster, and you'll stop at nothing to have your way," Sokka spat. Jet sighed impatiently. "Well, I was really hoping you'd tag along, but I guess if this is how you want it then so be it," Jet said, and waved a hand.

Ashlynn rolled over onto her back and blinked a few times to try and clear her mind. Just as she did so, she was yanked by one arm back onto her feet by Pipsqueak. She didn't even try resisting someone who was as big as Pipsqueak. Smellerbee, the only female of Jet's group, grabbed Sokka's arms and bent them behind his back. Jet then ordered that they take the two of them to a place far from where the crime scene would happen; far away from Katara and Aang.

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee tied Ashlynn and Sokka's hands, and forced them to march into the forest. After several minutes of silent marching, Sokka spoke.

"How can you just sit back and let this happen?"

"Jet's a great leader. When he plans something, it always works out perfectly," Pipsqueak said firmly.

"Well, if that's how it's got to be, maybe you should rethink the way Jet looks at things," Sokka said, and took off running in a different direction. "Hey!" Smellerbee and Pipsqueak shouted in harmony, and ran after him, leaving Ashlynn behind. Sokka led the two freedom-fighters right across some of their own animal traps. Ashlynn watched as the traps enclosed the two friends and hoisted them high into the air. She smiled with satisfaction, and gave Sokka a look of approval.

"Come here, help untie me," Sokka said. Ashlynn nodded and ran over to him. Sokka and Ashlynn put their backs together, and fumbled with the knots of each other's bindings till they let loose.

"You okay?" Sokka asked as he grabbed Ashlynn's face and turned her head to one side so he could examine the bruise that was forming from the blow to the head Jet had given her.

"I'm fine Sokka, we need to get back to the dam," Ashlynn said, brushing Sokka's hands away from her face. Sokka nodded, and together they took off running in the direction they'd came.

"Sokka, we'll never reach the dam in time! We have to warn the villagers to get out of the town instead," Ashlynn said as they ran over uprooted tree parts and variously scattered pebbles. "You're right, come on!"

Changing their course, Ashlynn and Sokka ran in the direction of the earth nation village. Without stopping, they ran right into the middle of the town.

"Everyone, you need to leave this place! The dam that's stopping all the water from flooding this town is about to be blown up. Please, don't pack your things, just get out of here!" Sokka shouted to all the confused and concerned faces.

"He's lying. He's clearly a spy," one of the fire nation guards shouted back at him. Ashlynn looked at the floor, trying to remain unrecognized by the fire nation.

"No he's not," came a deep and raspy voice. Sokka and Ashlynn turned around to see an old man at the center of the crowd that had formed. "I was beat and robbed by a terrorist living in the forest. This man defended me," the old man vouched. Sokka gave him a thankful smile, and then the town immediately began to bustle out.

Ashlynn and Sokka ran back towards the other end of the river, where Jet and his companions would be. As they were running up the hill they heard an explosion. They stopped dead in their tracks, and watched as the eruption flew up into the sky in a large puff of smoke. Then, following the bang came the sound of rushing water. Together, Ashlynn and Sokka watched with heartbroken expressions as the water flooded and demolished the little town.

"We did a good thing Sokka. All those people were saved," Ashlynn said. He smiled at her, and then they walked together up the remainder of the hill.

At the top of the hill Katara and Aang had Jet chained with ice to a nearby tree. "This was a victory Katara," Jet said triumphantly, "the fire nation is gone, and this valley will be safe!"

"It will be safe… without you!" Sokka said, announcing their arrival.

"Sokka, Ashlynn!" Katara and Aang cried out in surprise.

"We warned the villagers of what you were planning," Sokka explained. Jet's eyes bulged, and his expression turned to a fit of rage as Sokka explained what he and Ashlynn had accomplished.

"You're a fool! You both are! This valley could have been saved!" Jet spat as his eyes grew even bigger as he grew angrier.

"Jet... Who would've been saved? Everyone would have died," Ashlynn said.

"Traitors, all of you," Jet shouted, even louder than before.

"No, Jet. You're the traitor. You stopped protecting innocent people," Sokka said, pleased to have done so well in saving the people.

Aang interrupted a moment and blew his bison whistle to call Appa to them.

"Katara, don't leave. Please, help me," Jet said.

"No. You're a monster, and we're leaving," she retorted.

Then, Appa landed before them, happy as ever, especially since he'd been given several days to rest up. Together, the group mounted on the bison's back and head, and took off. They made one stop at the hideout to gather their belongings, and once again flew off in the direction of the Northern Water Temple.

"I'm really sorry Sokka and Ashlynn, for not believing you," Katara apologized later in the day. "Yeah, me too," Aang followed.

"But, I'm really proud of you Sokka. You really stood up to him," Katara said with a smile.

"Yeah Sokka, I'm proud of you too," Ashlynn grinned at him. Sokka returned Ashlynn's smile, and laid on his back and looked up at the sky, glad that he had been the hero for the day.


	10. Chapter 10

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. _

_  
__A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

"That looks like a pretty good place to rest for the night," Ashlynn suggested. She pointed out over the ridge of Appa's saddle to a dry landscape below a few yards away. "Sure, looks promising, there's a nice bit of forest nearby for firewood, and plenty of clear space to set up the tent," Aang agreed.

Aang turned Appa towards the selected campsite, and landed him safely on the flat ground. The sun was low in the sky, and the nocturnal animals of the forest were beginning to emerge from their sleeping spots. Crickets could be heard on and off every couple of minutes.

"Hey Katara, how 'bout you and I go collect some firewood. Sokka can set up the tent, and Aang can scrap for food," Ashlynn said with a cheerful grin. "Great idea," Katara agreed with an eager nod, and together they sauntered into the neighboring woods.

A half an hour later Katara and Ashlynn returned with plenty of firewood. Aang hadn't returned, and Sokka had just finished setting up the tent. Katara glared impatiently at him as he negligently tossed the tarp into the undersized tent.

"You're not going to set up the tarp?" Katara inquired. "No, the tarp makes a nice blanket," Sokka answered. "…What if it rains?" Katara retorted while tapping her foot impatiently.

"Katara… have you looked at where we are? It's not going to rain, it's too dry out here. This place looks like it hasn't had a good dose of rain in ages," Sokka nagged in return.

"Suit yourself," Katara said, and chucked her bundle of firewood at him just as Aang returned with the evening 'grub'.

"If you guys can't get along, why don't you just switch jobs? From now on, Sokka can help with the firewood, and Katara can set up the tent. That way, it gets done how everyone wants it too," Aang said while presenting their meal. "Sounds good," Katara and Sokka replied with annoyance.

Sokka took the bundle of firewood, and ignited the fire. Ashlynn wrapped herself in a blanket, and sat next to the blaze to keep warm. Sokka joined her after he made sure the fire wouldn't go out, and Aang joined them while Katara cooked their meal.

"So, we must be pretty close to the ---"

"Great Divide" Aang interjected. Ashlynn paused for a moment, then nodded to show that's what she was going to say. "You ever have been there?" Aang asked. Ashlynn nodded. "I haven't actually been there… I've just passed by it. I've traveled to most every corner of the world with Zuko."

Sokka yawned. "Know what, I think I'm going to hit the hay," he said after a stretch. "That sounds like a good idea, we need to get our strength anyways," Ashlynn nodded. With that, Katara put the fire out with some water-bending, and then the four companions crawled into the miniscule tent and fell asleep.

In the morning, Aang guided his friends to the Great Divide. The Great Divide was a vast and rocky canyon that split into two paths, but essentially both paths led to the other end out of the canyon. Sokka had little interest in it, and Ashlynn had already seen it. Katara stared out at in awe.

"Well know what Katara; we've got a sky bison. We don't NEED to cross this canyon on foot," Sokka said lethargically. Just then, a man dressed in an ostentatious silken robe shoved right past Sokka and stopped at Katara's feet.

"If you're looking for the canyon guide, we were here first! We arrived before you, so he's taking our team across before he takes yours!" the pompous man demanded while waving an arrogant finger at Katara.

"Calm down man, we already heard… You're first," Sokka said. "Don't tell me to calm down! You wouldn't be calm if your village was destroyed, and you found out the only way to get to the earth kingdom city of Ba Sing Se was through this good for nothing spit of land," the man shouted back.

"Ba Sing Se?" Ashlynn asked, suddenly interested. She still had vivid memories of Iroh's loss at Ba Sing Se. "You guys must be refugees!" Katara exclaimed.

Next, a group of barbarian-looking men tramped out of the forest, looking mean and hygienically deprived. "I'm guessing they're not your team," Ashlynn said, staring at the mob of uncivilized looking men. "They most certainly aren't. They're our enemy tribe. We've been enemies for a hundred years," the fancy man explained.

"I've already reserved a spot, so you will all just have to wait your turn, you flea-bitten mongrels," the robed man threatened. "Oh please, the canyon guide doesn't even take reservations," said the head-man of the opposing group.

Just as the man and the group began to bicker, the canyon guide made his appearance. He was a chubby old man, who could earth bend just as was said of him. After he'd appeared, the remaining team of the lavishly clad man arrived as well.

Then, Aang, Katara, Ashlynn and Sokka watched with disbelief as the two tribes bickered and argued over which team had the priority in being led across the canyon. "We should do something," Ashlynn said as she watched the canyon guide's face grow red with stress and embarrassment. Aang sighed, and stepped forward.

"Alright, although you guys may not like it, this is what's going to happen. My sky bison Appa will fly your sick and elderly across the canyon, while the rest of us travel together as a group," Aang explained. The groups murmured amongst themselves for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

The canyon guide then proceeded to tell the groups that food wasn't permitted because it would attract beasts and bugs of all kinds that would lead them to an unfortunate death. So, while Aang loaded the sick and elderly men into Appa's saddle, the teams ate the food they'd brought with them.

Once the groups had finished eating and Appa had flown off for the other side the canyon guide had everyone follow him to make the descent down into the canyon. When it was appropriate, he'd earth bend a passageway so everyone could walk across safely.

"I can't believe we got mixed up in this," Ashlynn muttered to Sokka and Katara. Katara shushed Ashlynn to be quiet so she could listen to the canyon guide talk about how the canyon was formed by earth-bending spirits. Sokka gave his sister an exasperated glare, but gave Ashlynn a nod of agreement.

Again, when it was appropriate, the canyon guide would prevent landslides and every so often he'd create his own landslide behind them to get rid of their tracks so the fire nation wouldn't find them. At one point the self-created landslides caused too much of a racket, and one of the canyon bugs the guide had warned about attacked the group.

The creature was a four-legged beast, taller than the average height of a man, and thin with pointed feelers. It snagged the guide by the collar of his clothing, and began shaking him around in the air like a dog would a toy. While Katara, Sokka, and Aang fought off the creature, Ashlynn kept the villagers under control, and preventing them from suddenly panicking. One of the men in the crowd screamed as they watched the creature toss the canyon guide with such a force that the sound of breaking bones was emitted when the guide collided with a rock.

Aang scared off the creature, and Katara ran to the old man to check on him. Ashlynn did the same, while Sokka took over keeping the teams calm.

"It looks like his arms are broken," Ashlynn said. The man groaned in pain, and explained that if his arms were broken he wouldn't be able to bend their way out of the canyon. "Then… we're trapped here…" Aang said with shock.

"Here, I'll bandage your arms while we think of something to do," Katara sighed. She retrieved some of the remaining bandages, and made a cast for the guide so his arms wouldn't limp and cause him pain. "I thought we wouldn't have to deal with these things if we didn't have any food," Sokka asked.

As soon as he mentioned the food, the two tribes began accusing one another of sneaking food on the trip.

"Alright everyone, shut the holes on your faces," Aang screamed impatiently. "It's obvious that we need to get out of here safely. I thought we could work together on this, but I guess I was wrong."

Aang air-bended his way to a higher ledge so that he could speak to the group as a whole, rather than looking back and forth between parted teams. It was then that Ashlynn noticed that they'd reach the portion in which the canyon broke off into two halved canyons; the two passageways that lead through to the end.

"Zhang's, you go on this side," Aang said, and pointed to the left passageway. "…And Gon-Jins- you go that way," Aang said and pointed to the right. The teams agreed, and took off in their designated directions. Aang then hopped down from the ledge he was on, and confronted Katara, Sokka and Ashlynn.

"I think it's best we split up and found out why these two groups hate each other so much," Aang contemplated aloud. "Good idea Aang. I'll go with the Zhang's," Ashlynn offered. "And I'll go with the Gon-Jins," Katara said after. Sokka hesitated a moment, then said he'd join Ashlynn. "Good, I'll try and give equal attention to the groups," Aang said. With that as the final word, they split up and went with their chosen teams.

"How do you want to go about asking them how they came to hate the Gon-Jins?" Ashlynn asked Sokka as they paced behind the Zhangs at a moderate pace. "I have no clue, but we'll think of something," Sokka said. Ashlynn smiled, and nodded.

When the sun had begun to set, the group paused to set up camp. Sokka was overjoyed to find that the Zhang's shared his opinion on 'tarps'. When it was really dark, a campfire was set up to keep everyone warm and comfortable. The campfire of the other group twinkled several yards away. As it began to die down, the leader of the Zhang's extracted a chunk of meat from within his clothing.

He offered a chunk of meat to Ashlynn and Sokka. Sokka took it happily and immediately gobbled the meat down. Ashlynn hesitated. "I thought we couldn't have food?"

"You're right, we can't. But, when you think about it, the others must've brought food too. I mean, it'd be in their nature to assume that we had brought food, so they would decide to copy us and bring food as well. It's only fair," the leader explained.

Ashlynn hesitated another moment, and then took the scrap of red meat and ate it slowly, savoring the taste. Then, surprised, she listened intently as the man began to retell the tale of how the two tribes had become enemies without her or Sokka even asking him to.

"It goes way back to when our older leader, Wai-Jin was out for a jog. He happened across one of the Gon-Jin members, who had collapsed upon the floor. The man was Jin-Wai, who was the leader of the Gon-Jin's. He'd been transporting an orb that was sacred to his tribe, and was used in their redemption rituals. Wai-Jin offered to help mend the man's wounds, but Jin-Wai insisted that his tribe's trinket was more important. Wai-Jin vowed to take the orb back to the Gon-Jin's, but as he did so he was arrested."

"That's terrible," Sokka said, completely uninterested.

"I don't know… I kind of feel like there was a misunderstanding," Ashlynn said hesitantly. "Well, yeah… The Gon-Jins misunderstood Wai-Jin's act of kindness. I'd pretty much say that's a misunderstanding," Sokka said, even while chewing on the rest of his meat. Ashlynn sighed and shook her head, and couldn't help but laugh a little. The leader laughed along with her. After their meager meal, everyone went to sleep.

In the morning, everyone packed their bags and began to continue onward through the divided gorge. By midday, the two teams came around the canyon dividend and became a whole once again. Aang met them in the middle, and sighed with disappointment as the two tribes continued to act hostile towards one another.

"Katara, Ashlynn and Sokka, what'd you all find out?" Aang questioned. "Aang, I don't think these two tribes should mingle any longer. The Zhang's really wronged the Gon-Jins, and stole their sacred orbs," Katara said.

"What are you talking about?" Aang, Ashlynn, and Sokka all responded in unison.

"Katara, the Zhang's were returning that orb, they didn't steal it!" Sokka defended. "Yeah Katara, the Gon-Jins had a misunderstanding. The Zhang's were wrongfully judged," Ashlynn interjected.

"Okay guys I get it, let's just make getting out of this canyon our main priority," Aang shouted to stop the civil bickering.

After his demand, Aang flew over to where the two tribes were back to their usual bickering. Being that the canyon had stopped at a wall, so that they had nowhere else to go, they took up fighting instead of continuing onward.

"Guys, please, we're almost out of here. We need to find a way up this wall, and then we can all go our separate ways," Aang pleaded.

The two tribes listened for a moment, and then continued to insult one another. Even Sokka and Katara joined their chosen side and began to insult the other's team as well. Aang shouted even louder for everyone to be quiet.

"HEY!" Ashlynn yelled as loud as she could. Everyone stopped their fighting, and looked over at her. "Aang is doing everything he can to help you guys get out of here alive. Why don't you pay him some respect, give him a little slack, and hear what he has to say!" Ashlynn screamed out again.

Everyone silently turned to Aang. "I'll say this once more. Harsh words won't solve anything; action will!" Aang shouted.

"Perhaps he's right…" the men in the crowds began to sneer.

After a moment of staring one another down, the leaders of each tribe drew their weapons, and began to duel each other. Aang's mouth dropped with a gasp of disbelief as he watched the two leaders slice at the other with their weapons.

The leader's seperated a moment, and then charged again at each other. Aang jumped high into the air, and landed between them, and sent a forceful wind in both directions, causing the men to fly backwards into their teams. The men of the teams were also pushed backwards by the wind force, and food from each team fell from their clothes and packs. Aang gasped once again, and, again, stared at the two teams with disbelief.

"You BOTH smuggled food down here?! You all put our lives in danger!!" Aang cried out furiously.

"Aang… Aang… AANG," Ashlynn shouted as she saw one of the oversized bugs crawl from a crevice in the wall. As soon as that one had emerged, a dozen more followed it. Each and every monstrous bug was hungry for the food that was neatly displayed before it.

Each team scattered in all directions, trying to escape the menacing jaws of the creatures. Ashlynn, who was confident that her wound had nearly fully healed, picked up an abandoned sword that lay on the dirt floor. It looked like it had belonged to one of the Gon-Jins, and was a perfect weight and fit for her. She gave it one experimental swing, and then ran after a bug that was pursuing one of the Zhang's.

When she got close enough, she rolled under the belly of the monster and hacked it's insides from its abdomen up to its chest with one swift stroke. She rolled back out on the other side, narrowly avoiding the pools of blood that began to ooze from the bug.

The bug stumbled, and Ashlynn turned her attention to the two bugs that were after Sokka. He flung his boomerang at one, but stumbled as he turned towards the other. He threw a protective arm across his face as the jaws of the monster opened. Ashlynn ran right in front of Sokka just in time, and stuck her newfound weapon into the roof of the mouth of the bug.

Meanwhile, Aang and Katara used their bending to wipe out several of the bugs at once.

Once all the bugs had been knocked out or killed… they each got up and continued fighting. "Aw man- how did we NOT kill them all?" Sokka groaned. "Sokka… you ever try and kill a cockroach?" Ashlynn asked as she wiped her forehead of sweat. He gave her a quizzical look. "You could cut its head off, and it'd still live for a while after," Ashlynn said as she finished catching her breath. Sokka laughed, and then they departed to ward off bugs that were attacking the tribes.

Suddenly, Aang's voice could be heard from over the commotion. "Everybody, do what I do!"

Everyone tried turning around to watch Aang's demonstration. He lured a bug with a morsel of food, and when it got close enough Aang hopped up onto it's back, and forced a cloth back over its mouth to prevent its teeth from doing any more harm to the people.

Doing as Aang did, everyone grabbed a partner and worked together to do the same. "Ashlynn, you help me," Sokka said, and tossed her a piece of food. "Right," Ashlynn said as Sokka leapt on the back of a bug. She distracted the insect with the food while Sokka put a bag over its mouth.

Eventually, every bug had been bagged and had formed a crowd in front of Aang's leading bug. "Everyone, share a bug and follow me! We're riding out of here!" Aang said, showing everyone that he had a bag of food that'd attract the monsters up and out of the ravine.

Sokka grasped Ashlynn's arm and pulled her up behind him on the bug. She wrapped his arms around his waist, and watched as he, along with everyone else, used the bags as reins and forced the bugs to follow the lead bug safely out of the canyon.

When they reached the top Aang ordered everyone to jump off their mounted bug. Everyone did as he commanded, and jumped off safely. Aang then took the bag of food he had, and tossed it back into the canyon. The bugs followed the scent, and trailed back to where they belonged.

"We made it!" Ashlynn said, relieved. Sokka and Katara smiled at her and nodded. Even the two tribes were conversing together about how their teamwork led them to victory.

"Well, just because you guys were reliable back there doesn't mean that we can unwrite history so easily!" the leader of the Gon-Jins shouted, and once again drew his weapon. The leader of the Zhang's snarled, and pulled out his weapon as well. Aang screamed with uncontrollable rage at their ignorance.

"…Wait a second… Wai-Jin, Jin-Wai? I know them!" Aang exclaimed happily. "Huh?" everyone muttered, and turned to look at him. "Yes. It might not seem like it, but I'm 112 years old, and I was there on the day you're talking about," Aang explained.

He then retold a tale about how Jin-Wai and Wai-Jin were twin brothers, and that when they were kids they had played a game. The sacred orb was a ball in their game, and they had to take the ball to goal posts. Jin-Wai had fallen, and so Wai-Jin had picked up the ball and went to score a goal with it, but stepped out of the boundary lines and was put in time-out for it.

Ashlynn began to crack up with laughter as Aang told that story. Sokka and Katara joined her as they surveyed the expressions the tribes had on their faces.

The leaders of the two tribes turned to one another, and bowed, and made an agreement to stop feuding with one another, and become a whole and civilized group. Then, everyone walked along the main road until they ran into Appa, who had remained protective of the sick and elderly men he had carried along.

Then, the tribes, now combined as one, continued on their way to Ba Sing Se. Ashlynn watched them march into the distance, wishing she could join them in their journey to the earth kingdom capital. Yet, she knew it was not her time to go there yet, and that her destiny pointed towards following Aang to the northern water tribe.

"You know Aang, it's lucky you knew those kids," Ashlynn said. "Actually, I didn't. I made it up," Aang said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Ashlynn stared blankly at him for a moment, and then burst out laughing once again. The rest of her companions joined her, and then they applauded one another for making it through another rough journey. Ashlynn looked down at the weapon that neither of the tribes had claimed, and was grateful that she'd finally be of use in Aang's journey.

She just hoped she wouldn't have to use it on Zuko in the future.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. _

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

[I'd like to make it known that this will be a chapter devoted entirely to Ashlynn and Zuko's past, seeing as how the episode 'The Storm' is more or less an episode about Aang and Zuko's pasts- I will be doing the same in here. It will be told as if it is in the present, and it will give you readers a little more insight on their past and their past relationships. Please, enjoy.]

"Morning Zuko," Ashlynn said cheerfully. Zuko looked up at her from the stone bench he was sitting on, and gave her a quick smile. "How did you sleep?" he questioned as she sat down next to him. "Fairly well, no one bothered me this time," Ashlynn said with a grin.

"Good," Zuko replied, and looked away.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Ashlynn inquired and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. "There's a war meeting today, and I want to attend it," Zuko said while staring at the wall ahead of him. "But… your father would never…" Ashlynn said and stopped before she upset him.

"It's alright. I think I'm old enough now to at least be allowed into the war room," Zuko said and stood up. "Until then, would you join me for breakfast?" he asked hopefully.

She smiled, and nodded. Together, the two of them stood off and walked to the royal palace dining hall.

"So Zuko," Ashlynn began as she sat down with her plate of food. "What's made you want to start going to the war meetings?"

"It's just… Someday I'm going to be the fire lord, not my father, and I think I need to start learning some things," he responded and nibbled on the bread roll he had. Ashlynn nodded in response. "What do you think your Uncle would say?"

"Well… I have this feeling he'd agree with me if he heard my opinions," Zuko responded. "Hmm… When is the war meeting?" Ashlynn inquired, taking a sip of her hot tea after. "Shortly after breakfast is when it starts," he responded.

"Shall we head over there?" Ashlynn said with enthusiasm. Zuko smiled and nodded, and then they stood up and returned their plates with half-eaten food to the palace cooks.

Zuko stood at the end of the long hallway that opened up to the war room where the fire lord and war generals and lieutenants discussed war strategies and preparations. He watched as the generals entered the war room, hesitant on walking down the hallway.

"What's a matter?" Ashlynn asked worriedly. "I'm just… anxious. I really want my father to be proud of me, and I think attending war meetings is a way to start that," Zuko said, and looked down at the floor with confusion. "Zuko, I think you're fretting too much. Just go down there and see what happens," she suggested.

Zuko inhaled, nodded, and began to walk through the lengthy hallway to the entrance of the war room. At the front of the doorway, two guards stepped in front of the door, disallowing him entrance.

"I demand you let me through!" Zuko shouted up at them. Ashlynn lingered behind, and watched as the guards remained motionless. Then, Iroh entered the hallway and asked Zuko what was wrong. "These guards won't let me through!" Zuko cried out in frustration. "You're not missing anything. These meetings are rather lackluster," his uncle assured him. Zuko then proceeded to explain his views on the point.

Iroh thought for a moment, and then nodded in agreement. Iroh permitted him entrance into the war room, where Zuko vanished from sight, leaving Ashlynn behind. Ashlynn stood there, lifting her silken dress from the floor so its rim wouldn't get dirty, and waited for Iroh to return. Iroh exited the war room after a minute, and walked to Ashlynn's side.

"Did you really agree with him?" Ashlynn asked as her and Iroh walked side by side back out to the main palace walls. "No, I think Zuko is reckless and far too eager, I'm worried he will speak out of turn," Iroh said while stroking his beard. "I don't think Zuko would be that foolish. He knows his place, and he knows respect," Ashlynn countered. Iroh made a sound with his throat that explained he was neutral on the idea.

"They'll be there a few hours Lady Ashlynn. I suggest you return to your quarters and pass the time in a more valuable way than sitting and waiting," Iroh said with a chuckle. "I intend to," she responded. Then, they parted ways and Ashlynn walked off to her quarters.

Being that she wasn't actual royal blood, she wasn't given quarters within the actual palace. Instead, the fire lord had had a separate building made for her within the palace walls, but just outside the palace. It was a simple building, having no more than a bedroom, a restroom, and a guest lounge, but it suited her well. Ashlynn stepped inside and moved to her bedroom.

She removed her fancy dress and replaced it with a simple skirt that went down to her ankles, and a suitable sleeveless top that hung just over her belly-button. She then pinned her short red hair behind her ears, and removed the gold hoops from her lobes. She slipped on some moccasins that matched the color of her shirt, and then went to her bathroom.

In the bathroom she washed off the blush and eyeliner from her face, giving her a more natural appearance. Then, despite Iroh's request, she sat on her bed and peered out the bedroom window, waiting for the sun to move across the sky until the war meeting ended.

Ashlynn jumped awake when she heard the main door to her abode open and close quickly. She looked outside the window and saw that the sun was beginning to go down, obscuring the blue color of the sky. She stretched and sat up, pondered for a moment, then decided to move to the guest lounge to investigate the disturbance.

She was surprised for a moment to see Zuko sitting on the settee in guest room. "Zuko! How did the war meeting go?" she asked as she walked around the settee to face him. She frowned when she saw that he was shaking. "Zuko, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned. She sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I… I… I spoke out of turn, Ash…" Zuko said and wiped some tears from his face. Ashlynn sighed with stress for a moment, wondering how it was that Iroh had known exactly what would happen. "Do you want to talk about it?" Ashlynn said quietly, soothingly. Zuko shook his head and shook more as he tried to fight back more tears.

Ashlynn said no more, and wrapped her arms around the neck of her friend and pulled him close to her. He then turned to her, wrapped his arms around her, still shaking uncontrollably, and began to cry into her shoulder. She stroked his hair and neck and whispered words to calm him down.

"Zuko, was it really that bad?" Ashlynn asked after a few minutes. He stopped shaking for a moment, and then sat up and looked at her. "I… I have to fight the war general I disrespected in an Agni-Kai…" he said, and looked away. "What? Zuko, you're crying over an Agni-Kai?" Ashlynn asked and gave him a look of utter disbelief. "No, Ashlynn… I… I disappointed my father… he ordered I fight in the Agni-Kai. I made him so angry. Ash, how will I ever redeem myself?!" Zuko said and sobbed a little more and let out a sigh as he finished his rain of tears.

"Just fight in the Agni-Kai, and prove you're strong enough!" Ashlynn encouraged. "But… what if I'm not? What if I lose? Then my father will be even more ashamed…" Zuko said. Ashlynn half-frowned and put her hands on Zuko's cheeks and made him look her in the eyes.

"Zuko, you are strong. You ARE strong enough. Just fight the general, and move on with life. It'll be like it never happened," Ashlynn declared, not breaking the eye contact between her and Zuko. Zuko blushed for a moment at his foolishness and embarrassment for crying over such a silly thing, and then nodded. "Thanks, Ash," he grinned. "No problem, kiddo," Ashlynn smiled back.

Then, they hugged goodnight and Zuko walked back to his quarters. Ashlynn shut and locked the door of her 'home', and went to her bedroom. There, she changed into a nightgown and went to sleep.

On the day of the Agni-Kai, Ashlynn wore an appropriate red gown that was tight against her body and showed off her physical features. It complemented her red hair, and even made her green eyes look like they had a red tint to them.

She, along with the rest of the invited spectators, piled into the courtyard where the Agni-Kai between Zuko and the General would take place. Ashlynn chose a spot on Iroh's right-hand side. Being that Ashlynn was considered a member of the royal family she was allowed to be in the front row with members of the actual blood line.

"So, I'll bet Zuko will give that General something to cry about," Ashlynn said to Iroh optimistically. Iroh gave her a dismal look, and said "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Ashlynn ignored his pessimistic comment and surveyed the scene.

Zuko and his opponent stepped onto the floor, and the crowd stopped its relentless murmuring. At the start of an Agni-Kai, the members were to stand on either side of the rink, and have their backs to one another. When they began the fight, they were to stand up from a kneeling position, and turn around to face one another. Ashlynn tried to get a good look at Zuko's opponent before they stood up.

"Iroh… No, that can't be…" Ashlynn whispered, and gasped as though the wind had been knocked out of her. "It is… The Fire Lord," Iroh responded miserably. "Iroh, they can't do this, he'll kill Zuko!" Ashlynn cried out while choking on tears.

"It is too late, Lady Ashlynn. What's done is done," Iroh replied. Ashlynn began to stand up to shout at Zuko, but Iroh grabbed her arm and yanked her back into her seat. "As a lady, you wouldn't even be granted the honor of fighting in an Agni-Kai for speaking out of turn, you'd just be slaughtered here in front of this crowd and in front of Zuko," he explained.

Ashlynn choked on more tears, and sat back down and began to crack her knuckles like she did when she was nervous.

Zuko stood up, and turned around. Ashlynn began to cry as she watched Zuko's determined and confident face turn to that of a weakened and insecure expression.

"Iroh I can't watch this. Look how terrified he is," Ashlynn whispered, and saw that Iroh had a few stray tears as well. "Iroh do something!" Ashlynn pleaded through gritted teeth, and she let out one hysterical sob before mentally forcing herself to stop acting weak. "There is nothing I can do, for this is Oazi's decision and order," Iroh replied.

Ashlynn watched Zuko fall to his knees and bow down to his own father. Ashlynn's heart raced as Fire Lord Oazi approached his son and looked down upon him, ashamed and angered. Zuko looked up at his father.

"Father, please, I only had our nation's best interest at heart, I swear it! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!"

"You will learn respect, Prince Zuko. Rise and fight!" his father demanded. "Father please- I meant no disrespect at all, I am your loyal son! And I won't fight you!" Zuko begged. "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher," Oazi said maliciously.

Ashlynn dug her nails into her palms as she clenched her fists tighter. She began to cry again when tears began to fall down Zuko's face; when he began to shake.

"Look away, Lady Ashlynn," Iroh recommended, fear covering every part of his voice. He turned around to look away from the scene, but Ashlynn couldn't make herself turn. Body frozen, Ashlynn was forced to watch as Fire Lord Oazi cast a flame at Zuko. Ashlynn screamed, along with a few other surveyors, as Zuko cried out in pain and grief.

Ashlynn began to shake as she watched Oazi walk away, leaving his son to writhe and twitch upon the floor, his face on fire. She stood up, despite Iroh's pleads for her to remain seated. She hopped over the railing that separated the crowd from the arena, and fell upon her knees by the burning Zuko's side.

"Somebody please put these flames out!" she screamed at the doctor's who were posted on the outskirts of the rink. After a moment, a doctor ran by Zuko's side and put the flames out with a kind of medicinal water. Even though the flames were out, Zuko still screamed in pain and Ashlynn had to look away from him.

Ashlynn vomited just a little as the image of half of Zuko's burnt and scarred face pierced her mind. When she looked back, the doctor's had knocked him out with a mind-numbing herb and were wrapping a bandage around his head so that it covered the half of his face that was ruined.

Ashlynn stood up and watched as Zuko's sleeping body was carried away on a stretcher. Iroh walked up next to her.

"The Fire Lord will banish him for refusing to fight. It was dishonorable of him to act so cowardly, in the Fire Lord's mind," Iroh spoke. "Will he ever be able to return?" Ashlynn said, her mouth still quivering from shock.

"Yes, but only if he can prove his honor," Iroh responded. "Then… then I shall go with him," Ashlynn vowed. Iroh nodded. "I am glad. You and I will be good influences on his difficult journey to come. Be warned, though, Zuko will never be the same after this," Iroh forewarned her.

"I'll stick with him through all his hardships, no matter what," Ashlynn swore.

"I'm going to find the Avatar," Zuko told Ashlynn a few days later as they departed from the fire nation.

Ashlynn wasn't very faithful in the idea of finding the long-lost Avatar, but she nodded anyways.

"If that's what you wish, then I am your loyal friend, and I'll stick by your side through thick and thin. We can get through this together, Zuko. After all, that's what friends are for."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. ___

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion…_

"Guys… I think Sokka might be sick."

It was early in the morning, and Aang's team was camped inside some abandoned ruins outside a nameless, unknown town that had people who cared less about the world. The previous day the group had gone out to sea during a harsh storm, thus resulting in Sokka's abrupt illness.

"Yeah, he's been looking under the weather since yesterday. Started with a cough, I didn't think it'd get so bad that he'd be delusional," Ashlynn said to Katara after her suggestion of Sokka being sick.

"Why don't I go into town and see if there's anyone who has some medicinal herbs?" Aang volunteered. "Good idea, just make sure you stop back here before going off on any crazy adventures," Katara teased. Aang promised his safe return, and took off on his glider.

"I'll go find some water; you keep an eye on Sokka… Make sure he doesn't go too insane," Katara said, sounding unbelievably fatigued. She gave Sokka a peculiar look as his delusions worsened, and then departed to find water for her brother.

Ashlynn gave Sokka another blanket after he began to shiver violently again. She then handed him a handkerchief when he began to sniffle yet again, and then went to lie down elsewhere to avoid getting hit with his ailment.

Katara returned fifteen minutes later with a satchel of water, and Aang returned forty-five minutes after her with news that there was an old woman nearby who might have medicinal herbs.

"That's great Aang! Now we can pack up and head there," Katara exclaimed enthusiastically. "I don't want to risk Sokka getting worse, I think he should stay here," Aang said whilst chewing on his bottom lip.

"Fair enough- Ashlynn and I can go," Katara said, and then suddenly sneezed and began to cough. "Oh no," Ashlynn cried. "Not you too..." Aang uttered bitterly. "It's alright guys, cool it. I'm fine---"Katara assured them, and began to cough again.

"Maybe it's best Katara stayed here with Sokka. I can accompany you to the woman, Aang," Ashlynn said. "Alright, sounds good. Katara, lie down. We'll be back in a while," Aang declared. Ashlynn stood up, and followed Aang out of the ruins.

"We should be cautious and precise with our voyage to this place. This is just the kind of place you'd least expect to see the fire nation, but it's the place you're most likely to find them," Ashlynn warned. "I can be cautious, precise, AND quick," Aang laughed.

He then ordered for Ashlynn to scramble onto his back and wrap her arms around his neck. Then, he took off running at such a great speed that Ashlynn had to shut her eyes to keep her eyes from thoroughly drying out. At one point during Aang's dash Ashlynn heard a horn begin to blare.

"Aang- I think we've been spotted!" Ashlynn shouted over the noise of the deafening winds that Aang was making with his air-bending speed. "Don't worry, we'll be fine!" Aang cried back.

After five minutes of persistent running, Aang ran up a final fleet of stairs and came to a sudden halt at the entrance to the building, which looked much like the ruins they were using for shelter.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, but my friends are terribly sick and they need medicine!" Aang half-panted half-shouted at the elderly woman on the other end of the room. She was thin, and her skin was wrinkled, and her hair was a matured white.

She laughed an elderly, hoarse laugh. "Your friends will be fine… I have been living here for forty years! Everyone else left, so it's just me and Miyuki," the aged woman said, and continued to blabber on about her life like some old people tend to do.

When she had finished narrating her auto-biography she turned and muttered to herself while she looked about her plentiful amounts of herbs. "Is she looking for the medicine?" Ashlynn questioned Aang in a hushed voice.

"I sure hope so," he sighed dejectedly.

After fifteen minutes of listening to the old witch talk to herself, she finally found the herb she'd been looking for. To Ashlynn's and Aang's utter disappointment, the herb she'd found was just to be used to feet her cat Miyuki.

"Hey lady- What about our friends," Ashlynn demanded, taking control over the annoying situation.

"Oh, your friends- I'd almost forgotten. All they need is some frozen wood frogs, they can be found in the lake down in the valley. Just have your friends suck on those till' they thaw out," she said cheerfully.

"Suck… on frozen frogs?" Ashlynn said, and made a sound that made it clear she found that idea to be completely vulgar.

Ashlynn and Aang thanked the old woman, and then departed from her 'home'. They walked down the steps, where an array of arrows greeted them. Two of the arrows went through the sleeves of Ashlynn's top, pulling her into the ground with them. She struggled to tug them about, but was unable to move either of her arms to pull an arrow out.

Aang was luckier, as he was merely pinned through the bottoms of his pants. He quickly air-bended a shield around them, giving him time to tug the arrows out that were pinning him down, then helping Ashlynn get free.

"I told you we were noticed!" Ashlynn shouted over the sound of the fresh and pouring storm that had been taunting them from afar all day. "Let's just go get those frogs and head back to the ruins!" Aang shouted. Ashlynn nodded, and hopped back onto Aang's back like before.

Then, as quick as he was earlier, Aang took off running in the direction of the valley that beheld the lake they were directed to go to. Their pursuers, well trained archers, followed them. They were more agile, and more prepared, and caught up quickly.

With one swift jump Aang leapt off the cliff and down into the valley. Ashlynn covered her face with one arm, keeping one arm around Aang's neck for support, and blocked all incoming branches that they came up against as Aang fell through the woods below. He then bounced between trees to break his fall, and continued to run at a quickened pace to the pond.

The water had very little shallow parts, so as soon as Aang took a few small steps into the lake he and Ashlynn sank into its murky depths. Ashlynn released her hold on Aang, and swam to the surface. Aang rose above the water just beside her, with a frog in one hand. "There are tons of them!" Aang told her, and then let out a surprised cry as another arrow narrowly missed his arm.

"Hurry," Ashlynn shouted. Her warning went without use, however, because just as Aang had stuffed a few more chilled frogs into his shirt, a net was cast over the both of them. The archers then approached them, and beat them both over the head with the handle of a sword, knocking them out cold.

* * *

When Ashlynn awoke, the first thing she noticed was that the muscles of her shoulders and arms were unbearably sore. Her hair was in her face, and she moved an arm to brush it out of the way.

That was when she noticed that her arms were chained. Her neck snapped up, and she began to breathe heavily as she panicked. She saw that her arms were chained to two pillars on either side of her. She was chained up so that her feet hung just barely above the ground, making it so that her toes touched it, but she couldn't actually flatten her feet.

She propped herself up on her toes, and tugged on the chains, but to no avail. She hung her head, letting her fiery hair fall past her face, concealing her features. She felt beads of sweat fall down her face as the heat in the room began to rise.

She didn't know how much time had passed before Admiral Zhao entered the room she was being held in. The tops of the pillars lit up with fire to illuminate the room.

"Well well well Lady Ashlynn, looks like neither you nor the Avatar can evade my expertise archers," Zhao taunted. Ashlynn didn't lift her head, but she tightened her hands into fists and clenched her teeth to keep from releasing all the rage she had built up.

"Well then, you're going to be transported from this fortress back to the Fire Lord in a few days, and he can decide what to do with you. I'm putting my money on eternal captivity, or instant death," he grinned.

"I'd rather die by the hands of the ruler of my nation than rot here while you damage my ear drums with your overly pathetic voice," Ashlynn spat, looking up at Zhao for a moment. "Hey, if it was my choice, I'd kill you right now, while you're so helpless and so vulnerable," Zhao said, and emitted a cackle to follow.

"Why don't you go play with your fire sparklers Zhao, you sick bastard," Ashlynn snarled.

Zhao chuckled in response. "You really are quite charming. Don't worry Lady, Aang will be with you. You'll both be sentenced by the Fire Lord," he reassured.

"Aang is smart, and Aang is strong; much stronger than you. He will find a way out of here," Ashlynn threatened. "I'm afraid that's impossible," Zhao retorted.

"Then we'll just wait and see," Ashlynn grinned from behind the hair that hung in her face. Zhao looked thoroughly disturbed, and proceeded to exit the room. Ashlynn laughed quietly to herself, and then passed the time by counting the increasing numbers of sweat beads that fell down her face. The lit-torches of the room made the heat grow even more intense.

* * *

Hours must have passed before Zhao reentered the room, looking astonishingly distraught. "Wow Zhao, you break one of your toys?," Ashlynn laughed, lifting her head up even though it made no effect on her hair since it was now plastered to her face by the sweat.

"You knew it would happen. You sent in someone to help that kid escape! Who was it?! WHO!" Zhao screamed at Ashlynn, punching her across one cheek. Ashlynn did not scream, but merely spat out the blood that was filling into her mouth and gave Zhao a very unsure look, but laughed after a moment and spat more blood.

"Zhao, you've lost your mind. How could I have sent for anyone if I've been in here?" Ashlynn asked and continued to laugh, feeling like she was going insane. "I don't know, but you knew it would happen! You said so yourself! Now tell me who it was. It was a man in a blue mask, who was it Ashlynn? Who was it?!?!" Zhao screamed again and punched her across the other cheek, tossing her head to one side.

Ashlynn blinked to clear her dizzy mind, and spat more blood out.

"Zhao, I didn't do anything," Ashlynn stated firmly. Zhao stared into her hazy eyes for a moment, and then said "if you refuse to tell, then you will burn."

He left the room, and returned a moment later with flammable liquids and objects, which he scattered amongst the room. He then went to the doorway, and cast one solid flame into the ground, igniting the fire. He turned, shut the door, and locked it.

Ashlynn watched the fire slowly begin to inch around the room, latching onto all the combustible items. She began to breathe more heavily as her heart raced.

_I'm going to die. I know it, this is the end… Zuko…_

"Zuko," Ashlynn cried out in panic.

* * *

[_Meanwhile:_ Several minutes before Zhao's burning.]

Zuko slowly awoke and blinked several times to sharpen his vision. Next to him was Aang, whom he was surprised to see. Zuko figured Aang would have left him for dead when he was knocked out by Zhao's archers, despite the fact he'd helped him escape.

"You know Zuko; one hundred years ago I had this friend Kuzon. We used to be the best of pals. If you and I knew each other back then, you think we could've been friends too?" Aang asked optimistically without looking at him.

Zuko stood up and shot a menacing flame at Aang. Aang dodged the flame by jumping up into the tree above them.

"Well, listen Zuko; Ashlynn is still in that fortress. I can't get to her because it'll be swarming with soldiers that are trying to get me, so maybe you could do it," Aang suggested, and then hopped from branch to branch till he was out of sight.

Zuko pondered his suggestion for a moment, and then mentally agreed with Aang. He picked up the Blue Spirit mask, placed it over his head, and quickly and inconspicuously jogged to the fortress. When he arrived, he used his agile abilities to climb up over the wall, and silently darted into the main building of the fortress.

Zuko sank into the shadows as he spotted Zhao walking a few yards away. He looked utterly angry.

"Sir, do you want us to go investigate the smoke coming from the inner building?" one of Zhao's men offered. "No, you can let that wench burn," Zhao ordered. Zuko gasped, and immediately took off towards the interior of the fortress. When the smoke began to appear from within, he trailed it to a heavy door that was locked. Zuko grasped the handle with one hand, but gasped in surprised pain as the burning metal seared his palm and fingers.

He lifted his mask and wrapped a handkerchief around his mouth to keep out the fumes, replaced his mask, and began to kick at the door with all his might. After a few good kicks the door broke open, and a wave of burning flames suddenly shot out through the opening.

"Ashlynn," Zuko shouted and coughed as the fumes ran into his lungs. He fire-bended some of the flames out of his way and began to make a path to the center of the chamber. To him it looked like Zhao had stuck every flammable object in the fortress within the room and set it on fire.

As Zuko continued to make the path through to the center he spotted Ashlynn chained to two pillars that were beginning to crumble with heat. Zuko began to cough more violently as he quickly made his way through the burning rubble. When he was no more than a foot away from his old friend the pillars toppled over, and she fell with them. Zuko lunged at the pillar that was about to fall upon her and knocked it to the side, crying out in pain as his hands were burnt just a little more.

The fall of the pillars snapped the chains around Ashlynn's wrists, so Zuko picked her up and rapidly made his way back through the room, coughing all the while. Outside the room, Zuko lightly tossed Ashlynn over one of his shoulders so he'd be able to run and climb better.

He ran outside the building, and traced his way back the way he came up and over the same wall, undetected. Outside the walls of the fortress, he continued to run until he was far down the road, then turned and ran into the depths of the nearby forest. When he was sure they were safe, he laid his friend down and checked her heart beat and breathing.

* * *

Ashlynn awoke to the bright sun that shone against her pale face. She blinked a few times, then rolled to one side and examined the grass below her. A light breeze flew past her, and gave her a sense of serenity.

"I must be dead…" she whispered very quietly to herself, and closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened.

"No, you're not dead," came a familiar voice. Ashlynn opened her eyes, and rolled onto her other side to see a familiar figure sitting a foot away from her. She sat up quickly, and identified the person as Zuko.

"Zuko, what are you…?" Ashlynn questioned, confused.

"You'll be okay, you've only been out for a few hours," Zuko replied, and approached her and attempted to put a dampened cloth on her forehead.

"A few hours... What happened?" Ashlynn demanded angrily, and stood up and looked down upon Zuko. "Don't get mad at me, I saved you!" Zuko yelled, and rose as well, beating Ashlynn's height by a number of inches.

"Where is Aang? Katara, Sokka? Where are they Zuko?" Ashlynn demanded. "They're just back at where ever you all were staying at! Ashlynn, I just saved your life!" Zuko said, exasperated.

Ashlynn looked at her surroundings, and, by looking at the position of the sun, determined what direction her companions were staying at. She shoved Zuko, and took off running in that direction, ignoring Zuko's cries a pleas and consistent 'Ashlynn's.

She was glad to see he wasn't following her. As she ran she tried to remember what happened, but all she could recall was Zhao setting the room she was in on fire.

"I must have passed out… Zuko must have gone in and saved me…" Ashlynn murmured to herself as she ran on.

After an hour of running she came across familiar terrain. She then navigated her way back to the Avatar's current hideout, and hoped that they were still there. To her relief, they were.

"Ashlynn," Katara, Aang, and Sokka all exclaimed at once.

"Aang told us what happened! How did you escape?" Katara asked.

"I'm sorry I couldn't rescue you…" Aang apologized.

"We thought we'd never see you again!" Sokka exclaimed.

"It's alright, Aang. In regards to Katara's question, one of the guards had a change of heart. He snuck me out," Ashlynn said.

Katara and Aang gave her looks that said 'we don't believe you'.

"Wow. What happened to your clothes? They're blackened. And it looks like you've got a burn or two," Sokka gasped.

"I… uh… Zhao, he attacked me. He wanted information, information I didn't have, I'll be okay," Ashlynn reassured them, and looked down at the light burns on her arms.

"Well, we'll get you new clothes in the next town," Katara said, and gave Ashlynn a hug. "Yeah, at least you're safe," Aang said, and hugged her as well. "We're glad to still have you with us," Sokka said, and gave her the last hug.

"Thanks guys," Ashlynn said with a smile. Despite her appreciation to be with them once again, she still felt internally disturbed about Zuko's sudden act of righteousness, and ashamed at how she'd acted towards him.

She knew that karma would come back and give her a hard time for that.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. _

_  
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

For several beneficial factors, Aang parked Appa by a small river to give the team, especially Ashlynn, some time to rest up after several days of consistent flight. There were plenty of fish in the water that they could have for food, and Katara and Aang could practice their water-bending. Ashlynn could take the time to heal up.

During the second day of their resting, the roaring of a platypus-bear could be heard several yards away. "Ashlynn, watch Appa and Momo, we'll go check it out," Aang ordered. Ashlynn reluctantly nodded, and went to pay Appa to assure him everything was fine.

After a while the incessant roars of the animal ceased, but Aang and Sokka and Katara did not return so quickly. Ashlynn stood up and tried to peer downhill where they'd run off to, but she couldn't see anything. Minutes later a sudden downpour began to fall. Ashlynn ran under Appa's stomach to hide from the rain, and watched the hill and waited for her friends to return.

After a few minutes of waiting, Aang, Katara, and Sokka appeared over the cliff. Aang was carrying an umbrella, which he was holding up over himself and Katara. Sokka was walking outside the umbrella defiantly, looking soaked and rather smug.

"Hey Ashlynn, there's a town nearby here with a fortune teller! We think maybe we should go see her, and you can get new clothes and maybe replace the weapon that was taken from you while you were captured," Katara suggested.

"Sounds good," Ashlynn agreed, and then smiled as the rain stopped. "Well what do you know, now we'll have more comfortable travel," Aang said cheerfully, and folded the umbrella.

* * *

The town that they travelled to was a fancy place. All the shops were indoors, and all the people were dressed to first-class.

"I want to see the fortuneteller first," Katara squealed excitedly. "Fine by me, we can go shop after," Ashlynn nodded. They walked up to the most elegant building in the town, where an old man greeted them, and said the fortuneteller, Aunt Woo, was waiting for them.

They went inside and sat down on the mats that were designed to wait upon. A girl who looked as old as Aang appeared greeted them and introduced herself as Mang. It was obvious she fell for Aang at first glance and hurriedly rushed off to retrieve him some food. Aang had little interest in her, and Ashlynn felt rather sorry for the little girl.

The girl returned with food and Aunt Woo. Sokka snagged the food from Aang's hands and began to scarf it down willingly while Aunt Woo introduced herself.

Katara volunteered to go first, and together she and Aunt Woo walked away and out of sight.

"What do you think they're talking about back there?" Aang asked nervously. "Boring stuff I'd assume, like love and who she is going to marry and stuff," Sokka said while still stuffing his face. "Right… Whelp, I going to go find a bathroom," Aang said and abruptly ran off.

"Are you enjoying that food?" Ashlynn giggled at Sokka. He nodded, and then said "It'd be great if we could just get out of here though, this woman can't possibly predict the future."

"Gee Sokka, could you be any more of a pessimist?" Ashlynn responded sarcastically. "Probably," Sokka said with his mouth full.

"Hey I want some of that food!" Ashlynn playfully shouted, and then lunged at Sokka. Sokka held the bowl above his head with one hand and shoved Ashlynn back with his other hand. "There's no way you're getting these!" he said, and swapped his deflective hand with a foot and continued eating his food.

Ashlynn stood up and tackled him, knocking the bowl out of his hand. They both laughed and began to wrestle their way to the food, laughing all the while. Ashlynn scrambled away from Sokka and picked up the bowl and curled herself around it, hiding it from him. Sokka lunged at her and knocked her onto her back and pinned her wrists to the ground so that he hovered above her.

Ashlynn stopped smiling for a moment, and awkwardly looked away from Sokka's face.

"What the---?" came Aang's voice from nearby. Sokka quickly stood up and blushed and tried to explain what'd happen.

"He wouldn't give me food!"

"She attacked me!"

"He made me trip!"

"She scratched my face!"

"Okay, guys, stop! Seriously, I don't care," Aang shouted with irritation.

Then he, Ashlynn, and Sokka sat back down and remained silent till Aunt Woo came out.

"Who is next?" she asked. Sokka stood up and said, "May as well get this over with."

"Your life is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted," the women said solemnly. "But… you didn't even read my palm," Sokka protested. "I don't have to," she said, not removing the solemn looked from her face.

"I'll go next," Ashlynn volunteered. The women eyed her suspiciously and then guided her to the back room for the reading. "This is how I will read the fortune. You pick up one of these bones, and toss it into the fire. The bone will crack, and I will read the cracks in the bone," Aunt Woo explained.

Ashlynn nodded with understanding, and lifted a small bone that had a very slight curve to it. She tossed it into the heart of the flame, and sat on the designated mat. Aunt Woo pondered the cracks in the bone for a moment.

"You were part of the Fire Nation," she said without taking her eyes off the bone. "Yes, but it's not the place for me… I'm trying to help Aang destroy the Fire Lord," Ashlynn responded.

"You have a secret," Aunt Woo said after. "A secret? - I don't think so, I've never had a secret," Ashlynn said, confused. "That's because you haven't discovered it yourself yet," Aunt Woo explained.

"I… oh…" Ashlynn said, and lowered her head and began to think.

"You are confused," Aunt Woo then said, and Ashlynn nodded. "Let me see your hands dear," she requested, and Ashlynn displayed her palms for the elderly and rich woman.

"I can't tell much from your palms, you're still at such a young age… There's so much room for you to develop your own future," Aunt Woo explained. Ashlynn frowned with disappointment. "….There will be much grief and turmoil and struggle, but there will also be victory, friendship, and true romance. But, it is you who will shape how this will turn out," she said. Ashlynn smiled and stood up. "Thanks Aunt Woo," she said with a curtsy, and walked back out to the waiting room.

"Yeah- my turn!" Aang said and eagerly ran into Aunt Woo's room.

"So what'd she tell you?" Katara asked eagerly. Sokka still hadn't wiped the smug look from his face.

"She told me… That… I have a secret… A secret that I don't even know about yet… How is that even possible?" Ashlynn pondered aloud. She looked at Katara and Sokka who both had looks that said 'Yep, she's officially lost it.'

"Well… When Aang gets back we'll go buy you some new clothes and a weapon," Katara said, quickly changing the subject. Ashlynn nodded, and together the three waited in silence for Aang.

* * *

Aang exited several minutes later, looking happier than ever. Katara and Ashlynn eagerly scrambled out the door and ran to the nearest clothes shop. "Great, now we got to wait for them to finish shopping… Women… I swear…" Sokka muttered to Aang. Aang laughed in return.

Thirty minutes later the team departed from the shop with Ashlynn dressed in her new outfit.

Ashlynn was now dressed in a tight white T-shirt that hung above her belly button and hugged her figure perfectly. She had black detachable sleeves that ran from her wrist to up several inches from her elbow, leaving some skin exposed between the sleeves of her shirt and the detachable sleeves.

She also had light blue short-shorts that kept most of her legs exposed. She covered up the skin of her legs by having black stockings that matched those of her detachable sleeves. Just as the shirt and sleeves left exposed skin between the two, the shorts and stockings left some of the skin of her thighs out in the open.

To add on to the outfit, she had a black choker wrapped around her neck, a black belt, and black boots that ran up just below her knees. They also bought her a winters coat to keep her warm in cold weather. Finally, after an extra half hour of shopping, they finished with buying her two swords that would attach to straps on her hips.

Satisfied with the clothing, Ashlynn followed her friends to where a crowd was beginning to form. "What's going on?" Aang asked one of the townsfolk.

"We're waiting for Aunt Woo to come and read the clouds. Once a year she will read the clouds and predict the fate of the village, such as that of whether or not the volcano will erupt," he said and pointed at a volcano that was on the outskirts of the village. Just as Sokka began to protest against it, Aunt Woo stepped onto the altar the crowd had formed around, and opened a booklet.

Using the booklet to tell her what the clouds meant, she predicted that the village would have good crops, the twins of the village would have a rather pleasant year, and that the volcano wouldn't erupt.

After the reading Aunt Woo went back into her home and Katara followed her like a pest, wanting more readings. Sokka was determined to prove that Aunt Woo was wrong, so he ran about the village trying to convince its inhabitants that Aunt Woo won't always be right.

Ashlynn merely decided to go lie down in the inn they were staying at and think about what Aunt Woo possibly could have meant. After thinking for a long while she fell into a deep and much needed sleep.

* * *

Ashlynn was awakened by a sudden rumbling in the ground that shook the entire room she was sleeping in and even knocked over the decorative china. Without hesitation she got up and ran outside to see another crowd had formed and Aang and Sokka and Katara were speaking to them.

"What's going on?" Ashlynn asked Sokka after she ran over to them "Aunt Woo was wrong. Aang and I saw the lava in the volcano, it's going to erupt!" Sokka exclaimed. "Yeah, and the villagers won't believe us…" Katara followed.

"They won't believe you guys, but they will believe Aunt Woo. Look you guys, clouds are made of air and water. Why don't you and Aang go bend them into the shape that'll mean death by volcano?" Ashlynn suggested. "Wow… not bad Ash," Sokka responded, surprised.

Ashlynn was startled for a moment to hear her nickname spoken by Sokka for a second time, sending her memories of Zuko and how he'd call her Ash all the time, but she brushed it off her shoulders after a moment and focused on the main task. When Aang jumped down from the building, irritated that the villagers wouldn't listen to him, Katara explained Ashlynn's plan to him. He grinned up at her, and agreed eagerly.

"How will we know what cloud to make it?" Aang asked. "Simple, go steal Aunt Woo's cloud symbols book," Ashlynn responded. Aang nodded, and ran off to Aunt Woo's home to sneak in and steal the book. He returned moments later, and together he and Katara ran to mount Appa and fly into the air. Together, they began to shape the clouds.

"Come on Sokka, we'd better go get Aunt Woo and tell her there's something happening with the clouds," Ashlynn said after a moment. Sokka concurred, and they ran to retrieve Aunt Woo.

"Aunt Woo!" they shouted as they busted through her door. She dropped the class of steaming tea she held in her hand, and stood up to yell at them angrily. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "No time to explain, come quick!" Ashlynn said, and tugged on the old woman's robes. Aunt Woo refused for a moment, and then ran with them outside.

"Look Aunt Woo, look at the clouds!" Sokka exclaimed. Aunt Woo gasped, and recognized the skull-shaped cloud that meant destruction for the town. "You were wrong Aunt Woo, that volcano is about to erupt!" Ashlynn yelled at her.

Sokka proposed that he had a plan when Katara and Aang ran to greet them after they'd landed.

"Lava is going to flow to this spot, so we need earth benders to come with us and help dig a trench that will guide the lava to the river!" Sokka shouted to the townsfolk that had crowded around them.

Sokka, Ashlynn, Aang, Katara and multiple earth benders ran out to the river, and began to dig and mold a trench for the lava to channel through. It was well into the night before they finished digging. Aang then ordered the whole town to evacuate as the volcano began to erupt violently.

Aang, Katara, Ashlynn and Sokka stood on a cliff that overlooked the town and the scene of flowing lava. "There's too much lava, it's going to overflow," Ashlynn said regrettably. Aang took a deep breath, and then ran head-on towards the oncoming wave of magma. He used his air-bending to harden out the wave of lava so that it crumbled to the ground and became lifeless, no longer a threat to the village. The rest of the volcanic emission flowed through the channel they'd built, and safely sank into the river.

Then, the four companions walked back to tell the townsfolk they were safe to return to their homes.

"I hope you all have learned not to rely too heavily on this fortune-telling stuff," Sokka shouted at the town, proud that he had been right all along. "But, Aunt Woo wasn't wrong! She predicted this town would be safe, and it is safe!" one man responded optimistically. Sokka's smug face returned, and he walked off to continue his pouting.

Then, Ashlynn, Katara, Aang and Sokka mounted Appa, and with a cheerful goodbye, left the grateful village, and continued on their adventure to the Northern Water Tribe.


	14. Chapter 14

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_  
__A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...__  
_  
Ashlynn couldn't quite tell how many days it had been since her group took off from the fortuneteller's village before they made a break for some serious rest. She believed it was no more than two days, since Appa couldn't take much straight-forward flying.

"We should take a look around, see if we can find anything," Katara suggested after lunch.

They'd landed in a secluded forest that was on the top of slightly elevated land, surrounded by certain steep cliffs that ran down to a beach. Sokka and Aang nodded in agreement with Katara, and got up to scavenge for lost goods. Ashlynn trailed slowly behind them, uninterested.

"Hey look! A sword made out of a whale's tooth," Aang exclaimed excitedly after fifteen minutes of weak searching. The sword was staked right in the middle of a small open clearing in the forestry. Sokka gasped and slid down the first downhill section and halted next to Aang. He snagged the sword from his friend and examined it.

"That looks like a water tribe weapon!" Katara exclaimed to Ashlynn, and she slid down the small hill as well. Ashlynn carefully stepped down, trying to make sure each foot landed on a firm rock and not just slippery shrubbery.

"You're right Katara; this IS a water tribe weapon!" Sokka stated firmly. "Let's see if we can find anything else," Ashlynn responded, and quickly scanned the area. Everyone took off in separate directions, but made sure to stay within everyone's line of view, in case something was found.

"Look you guys, these trees here have been scraped," Ashlynn said, and ran a hand along the slight cuts of the aged tree. Sokka ran over to her, ran his hand along the tree's wound, and then looked down at the floor. "Look, an arrow!" he said, and picked up half of an arrow that had been snapped in half. He felt the tip of the arrow and some of it instantly began to crumble in his hand.

"It's burned," he remarked. "There must have been a battle," Katara followed as she closed in on them. Aang stared back at them, listening intently.

"Yeah- It was an ambush. Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of Fire Nation soldiers. They fought back, but the Water Tribe fighters drove them down this cliff," Sokka said and pointed at the faint footmarks that led down the cliff. Ashlynn sighed, realizing that they'd have to climb down the rest of the elevated ground till the trail ended.

Her, Katara, and Aang followed Sokka as he took off at a quick speed down the hill. He didn't stop till he reached the beach that they'd seen and heard from atop the cliff. The water slapped against the rocks that bordered the edge of the cliff and the beach.

"Then what happened?" Katara asked Sokka as the group caught their breath. "I don't know... The trail ends here," Sokka murmured disappointedly.

"No, look at that!" Ashlynn shouted suddenly as she spied a small boat several yards down the coastline. "That must be one of the Water Tribe ships!" Sokka said, perking up immediately. He ran down the beach, and Katara and Aang ran after him. Ashlynn calmly walked and observed them from afar.

"Is this... dad's boat?" Ashlynn could hear Katara ask. "No, but it's from his fleet," Sokka responded with a smile. "Then... dad was here!" Katara grinned.

"This would be a perfect place to make camp," Ashlynn told them as she caught up to them. "Good idea. It'd give us a good rest, especially being along this peaceful beach. We could fish, and maybe whomever this ship belongs to will come back to get it," Sokka agreed without hesitation.

"Alright, I'll go bring Appa down here," Aang said as he opened his glider. When a gust of wind blew by he jumped up into it and air bended his way up the hill. "While he gets Appa and our supplies we should gather food and wood," Sokka said.

"Right, Sokka and Ashlynn you guys go fish. I'll gather the best wood I can manage to find," Katara grinned. She took off running back into the forest. Ashlynn drew her twin swords and tossed one to Sokka. "Well, we don't exactly have a fishing pole at this moment so let's make do with what we got," she smiled. Sokka nodded, and together they walked down the beach in search of a decent fishing spot.

* * *

Aang returned with Appa just in time for them to make dinner. Katara had already made a fire; all she needed was dinner-making essentials.

"What took so long, Aang?" Katara asked as she began to gut the several fish Ashlynn and Sokka had caught. "Oh, Appa's just so tired... I didn't want him flying down here," Aang grinned and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Oh, right, no problem," Katara smiled back.

Sokka tended to the fire, and Ashlynn set up each of their beds around the warm fire.

After an hour the fish was finally ready. Each ate their meal with gratitude. Aang fell asleep upon Appa's warm fur, and Katara curled up in her warm sleeping blankets as well. Ashlynn laid back upon her bed and dozed off as well.

Ashlynn felt like only an hour had passed when a cold breeze flew by, waking her up. Man, should fall asleep IN the bed... It's so cold, she thought to herself as she rubbed her eyes and sat up. She then noticed that the fire was still crackling, and Sokka was still awake, staring deep into the heart of the burning flame.

Ashlynn blinked a few times to clear her vision, and then bit her lip and stood up. Sokka didn't appear to notice her get up, as he continued to stare into the flame. Ashlynn could tell something was bothering him. She watched him shiver as another wind blew by. She picked up a blanket, then walked over to him.

"Can't sleep?" she asked quietly. Sokka jumped at the sound of her voice, looked up at her, and then looked away while shaking his head. "Here," she said, continuing to keep her voice low so that Katara and Aang didn't wake. She tossed kneeled down by Sokka and put the blanket over his back and shoulders. "Thanks," he said without a smile, and hugged the blanket around him tighter.

"Mind if I sit?" she asked. Sokka shook his head, so she seated herself next to him. They said nothing for a long while, but merely stared at the fire in twin silence.

"My tribe... They left me behind," Sokka whispered suddenly, breaking the lengthened silence.

"What do you mean?" Ashlynn pondered quietly, and shivered as another large gust brushed past them. Sokka scooted close to her and wrapped the blanket around her too so that they'd both be kept warm. Ashlynn blushed at the closeness, but kept her face turned toward the fire so Sokka wouldn't notice.

"When my father left, I was more than ready to join them and help, and fight. They all put me down, and said I was too young. They abandoned me," he whispered while still keeping a stick to the fire, making sure it didn't burn out.

"I'm... sorry," Ashlynn whispered back, and looked up at him. "I'm not angry, I'm just anxious. This is the closest I've been to them since that day. Just... so close..." he whispered back, his voice quivering. Ashlynn reached up suddenly with her hand and grasped the hand that he had rested upon the legs he had curled up to his chest. She grasped his hand tightly in hopes that he'd feel comforted and more secure.

"I'm sure you'll see them again someday," she whispered reassuringly, and continued to look up at him. He suddenly turned his face to look back at her. Ashlynn was frozen, realizing she'd got stuck in an awkward position that'd be difficult to get out of. She studied the feeling of loneliness in his eyes and wished she could comfort him in a better way.

Suddenly, a noise came from the bushes nearby, dragging their awkward gazes apart. Sokka stood up from the blanket suddenly and drew his weapon. "Stay behind me Ash," he ordered protectively. Ashlynn wrapped the blanket tight around herself as her breath stopped suddenly at the sound of her nickname.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Sokka demanded. Ashlynn could hear Katara and Aang stirring from the sudden noise.

An older man wrapped in blue clothing and bandages around his chest entered the light of the fire so that everyone could see him better.

"Bato?" Sokka said with disbelief suddenly, as he recognized the man. "Sokka!" the man responded in a deep voice. "Bato!" Katara exclaimed, and Ashlynn looked over at her and saw the grin spread across her face. Ashlynn became aware of Aang giving her a confused look, and wondered if he knew how close she and Sokka had just been. She looked away from the two.

"Sokka, Katara!" the man Bato cried as the siblings ran to him and hugged him. "It's so good to see you," he murmured to them as he hugged them back.

Ashlynn stood up as Aang did, and together they walked over to the reunited friends. "Where's dad?" Sokka asked Bato as they broke the embrace. "He's not here. He and the rest of the fleet should be in the Earth Kingdom by now," Bato said. He and everyone else shivered as the largest gust of wind yet went by. "Come on, I'm staying in a small town nearby. It's much warmer there," he said, and turned around to guide everyone back. Ashlynn trailed behind, feeling randomly left out. She could tell Aang felt the same.

* * *

"I was wounded in the ambush. Your father carried me to this abbey, but they had to leave me behind. I was in no shape to continue my fighting. The sisters here have cared for me since then, and I've had a marvelous recovery," Bato explained as they entered the small abbey.

"Superiors, these are Hakota's children. They've been travelling with the Avatar," Bato explained to the curious women of the abbey.

"It gives me great joy to be in your presence, young Avatar. But what- What is SHE doing here?" one of the elderly women cried in horror and pointed at Ashlynn. Some of the other women began to whisper hurriedly amongst each other.

"What do you mean?" Bato asked. "She's fire nation!" the woman spat. Bato suddenly turned around and eyed Ashlynn more closely. He frowned with anger as he said "You're right, she's a criminal too, and she's wanted!" he glared.

"Bato, women of the abbey, it's fine. She's with us, she isn't fire nation anymore I assure you," Aang promised. "If you say so, Avatar," the woman said, still untrusting of Ashlynn. Sokka and Katara looked back at her with worry. She stared back at Sokka for a moment, and bit her lip as she broke the awkward eye contact.

"If there's anything you ladies need, just---" Aang began to offer when he was rudely interrupted.

"Wow that's a delicious scent! What is it?!" Sokka asked excitedly. Ashlynn could smell it too, and it hardly smelled appetizing at all. In fact, it was like a mixture of two scents in one. On one hand she could smell a soothing perfume-like aroma, but on the other hand it smelled like a fish meal gone horribly wrong. The two smells combined were horrific.

"The sisters craft perfume here. Come on, I got stewed sea-prunes waiting in my room," Bato explained. "No way!" Sokka and Katara gasped excitedly. Ashlynn held back a gag as she realized the 'sea prunes' was the source of the foul scent.

Bato guided them to a room within the interior of the abbey, which happened to look very much like an antique replica of a water-tribe room. There were animal fur rugs, and animal furs mounted on the wall for decoration. In the center was the pot which beheld the cooked prunes.

"Help yourselves," Bato said as he shut the door behind everyone. Sokka and Katara scrambled to the pot and calmly but quickly grabbed a bowl and spooned their share of food. Ashlynn sighed, and sat in a corner of the room. This was hardly of interest to her, but she knew that Sokka and Katara needed their time with their old friend. She fell asleep, exhausted and disappointed.

* * *

A very bright light shone in through the window, awaking Ashlynn. The room was thoroughly empty, and she was wrapped in a blanket. She vaguely remembered stirring slightly several hours before momentarily as Sokka attempted to wrap her dozing body in a warm Water Tribe blanket. That explained her having it now. She stretched, and folded the blanket neatly in the corner from which she slept in. Then, she departed from the room.

Wow, what time is it, she thought to herself as she watched the abbey women doing their daily work. It was at least midday, and Bato, Sokka, Katara, and Aang were nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where are my friends?" she asked the nearest abbey lady. "I believe they went back down to the beach just an hour ago," the women replied hesitantly, and gave Ashlynn a forced smile.

"Thanks..." she responded bitterly, entirely annoyed that everyone kept treating her with hostility.

She slowly paced down to the beach and stopped at the edge of the water. She gasped as the cool water lapped over her bare feet for the first time. She grinned and allowed the water to keep doing so. As she did this, she noticed that Bato's ship was no longer docked at the beach, but rather was floating out in the ocean water. She watched, and recognized each of her friends on board. Sokka appeared to be steering the ship through the numerous rocks out in the open portion of the ocean.

It looked like a dangerous task, but Ashlynn sighed in relief as Sokka safely made his way through the rocks. As the ship was water bended over the last portion, it began to steer back to shore. It docked back in it's original place, and Ashlynn happily ran over to greet them.

"You did great Sokka," Katara was saying as they departed from the boat. "Yeah Sokka, that was wonderful," Ashlynn said with a smile. "You saw?" Sokka asked suddenly. "Yeah," Ashlynn grinned. Sokka relaxed, and smiled, seeming so much happier knowing she'd seen his success in steering the boat.

"Come, let us recognize what each of you have accomplished," Bato said. Katara, Sokka, and Aang lined up side by side as Bato produced a bowl with a colored substance within it. He dipped his fingers into the mud, and made a shape above Sokka's bare forehead.

"Sokka, you have the mark of the wise," Bato explained. "Katara- the mark of the brave; and Aang, the mark of the trusted," he said, and finished with Aang's marking. Aang suddenly looked down, and wiped the marking from his face. "I can't accept this," Aang murmured.

"Of course you can Aang. You're an honorary member of our tribe now!" Katara said happily.

"No, you can't trust me," he said, and backed away. "What is it, Aang?" Ashlynn asked as she watched him back away.

Aang pulled out a crumpled bit of paper from within the confinements of his clothing and handed it to Katara. "A messenger gave me this. He said it was for Bato, you have to understand, I..." Aang tried to explain but was suddenly interrupted by an angered Sokka.

"This is the map to our father! You had this the whole time?!" he shouted over Aang's quivering voice.

"Sokka, please..." Aang tried to explain it again. "How could you?! You know what; go to the North Pole on your own! I'm going to find dad," Sokka spat angrily, and began to stomp off away from the group. "Sokka!" Ashlynn shouted angrily. "Sokka, maybe you should think on it..." Bato tried suggesting.

Sokka turned back around suddenly. "Katara, Ashlynn, you guys coming with me?" he asked. "I'm with you, Sokka," Katara said bitterly, and without looking at Aang she marched right to her brother's side. "Ash?" Sokka asked, lowering his voice a little. Ashlynn's heart raced as she was reminded of Zuko asking for her help, using her nickname, making her feel like she had to stick by his side.

After a momentary internal conflict, Ashlynn walked to Aang's side. "You're both acting without thinking. You're only thinking about yourselves, and it's immature. I'm staying with Aang," Ashlynn responded determinedly.

"Fine," Sokka spat. Despite his angry voice, the features on his face betrayed the emotion his voice gave. Ashlynn saw the pain and disappointment flash through his eyes, and she wondered just exactly when Sokka had begun to be protective of her.

Sokka, Katara, and Bato all turned around and walked back towards the alley. Ashlynn put a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder. "Come on Aang," she said, and together they followed the water tribe members.

* * *

Back at the abbey, all Katara managed to say to Ashlynn and Aang was 'good luck'. She, her brother, and Bato all departed without another word. Aang looked sadder than Ashlynn had ever seen him. "Come on, let's go..." Aang sighed as he hopped up on Appa. Ashlynn climbed up into Appa's saddle, and Aang reluctantly guided Appa out the gates of the abbey.

"I'm such an idiot," Aang sighed as they walked in the opposite direction of Sokka and Katara. "No, you're not. I didn't know that there was supposed to be any kind of map or anything, but I know that you didn't want to be separated from them. You're not an idiot, just confused, and they let their pride get the better of them," Ashlynn reassured him. Aang said nothing.

After a few minutes they reached the beach, and Aang stopped Appa at the edge of the water as he prepared them for flight. "Aang, look!" Ashlynn said, and pointed towards one of the abbey women she saw running toward them.

"Avatar, you must leave!" the woman said hastily. "I know, I get it," Aang retorted bitterly. "A group of people came to the abbey looking for you," the woman explained, tripping over her own words. "What? Who?!" Aang cried worriedly.

"A fierce woman with a horrible monster, and a man with a scar," she said, her voice sounding rather ominous. "Zuko," Ashlynn and Aang said in unison.

"The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you," the woman followed. "A necklace? Oh- Katara!" Aang cried out suddenly. "We got to help her," Ashlynn said. "I know, let's go Appa!" Aang said, and together they flew back to the abbey.

Back at the abbey, Aang ordered Ashlynn to hide up on one of the rooftops while he floated above, awaiting Zuko's arrival. It was almost certain he'd bring Katara and Sokka back when they began to find Aang's scent, so Aang requested Ashlynn provided safety for their lost companions. So, she hid inconspicuously atop a roof in the abbey.

Sure enough, a beast Ashlynn didn't recognize burst through the abbey gate. Atop it was a woman, whom Ashlynn assumed was a bounty hunter of some sort. With her were Zuko and Iroh, and Sokka and Katara were in bonds, thrown across the end of its back.

Aang flew in from above and glided over the creature. It reared up on its hind legs in an attempt to strike him with its tongue, but instead lost its balance and fell over backwards. Ashlynn hopped off the roof as it did this, and ran towards her fallen comrades. She tried her very best to ignore Zuko as she ran by Sokka and Katara.

The woman got up and whipped her monster, ordering it to get up. She hopped upon its back, and it began to charge towards Aang as he landed upon the stone floor. That's when Appa came in, and charged right into the creature's side, throwing it back into one of the abbey walls.

Ashlynn fell by Katara's side first and withdrew her sword to cut the bonds. "Ashlynn!" she heard her name coming from Zuko and she cut the bonds around Katara's wrists. She turned and saw Zuko stomping towards her. She moved her sword in front of herself for defense, but Zuko quickly kicked it from her hand. She ignored the increasing pain from the impact upon her hand as she rolled away from Zuko when he attempted to grab her.

As she rolled he grasped at her and caught her hair. She cried out in pain as he dragged her up off the ground by her hair. She kicked him in the gut and he cried out as well and dropped her. Then, Aang finally turned his attention to Zuko, and bended a gust of air in his direction, sending him flying away from Ashlynn. Ashlynn quickly stood up and ran over to her sword. She grasped it, then ran back to Katara and Sokka, who hadn't moved at all.

"What's a matter with you Katara- cut your bonds!" Ashlynn said as she cut the remaining bonds around Katara's ankles. "We're paralyzed. That creature, its tongue..." Katara tried to explain as Ashlynn cut Sokka's bonds as well. She growled in frustration, and sheathed her sword. She ran back over to Katara, and flopped her onto her back. She then grasped Katara's wrists, and dragged her back over to the safety of a nearby wall. She went back, and did the same for Sokka.

All the while she became increasingly aware of the heated ongoing battle between Zuko and Aang.

She surveyed the scene quickly, and saw the woman upon the creature striking out at Appa. Ashlynn drew both her swords and ran in that direction, ignoring Sokka and Katara's pleas to not go.

Ashlynn let out a furious cry as she closed in on the woman and her creature. Ashlynn made a running jump, and shoved the woman clear off her pet. The woman quickly stood up, and cracked her whip as she watched Ashlynn, preparing for an opportunity to strike. Meanwhile, Appa and the ferocious creature continued to fight, as did Aang and Zuko.

Ashlynn stared at the woman for a moment. She was beautiful, in a fierce sort of way. Ashlynn felt a twang of jealousy course through her, and momentarily wondered if she was Zuko's new companion. Ashlynn gripped her swords tighter, and then charged at her. The woman cast her whip out in front of her, but Ashlynn narrowly dodge it as she closed the distance between the two of them. She struck one sword out in front of her, and the woman bent down low and rolled out of the way. She flung her whip again, and Ashlynn yelled out as it struck her back, tearing through her clothes and skin.

She turned around and charged again. The woman cracked the whip, and managed to wrap it around on of Ashlynn's swords. She made an attempt to pull the weapon out from Ashlynn's hand, but it back fired, as Ashlynn was the one to pull the whip away from her.

Just as Ashlynn was about to run in and give the woman a good beating, the courtyard began to smell heavily of perfume. Ashlynn coughed and cast a protective hand in front of her face, and looked around to find where it was coming from. Katara, no longer inflicted with paralysis, was bending the perfume amongst the courtyard, thus resulting in the clouding of the monster's sinuses. Since it saw with its nose, it soom became blinded by the smells. It slashed its tongue out, and struck the woman. She fell over, immediatly paralyzed. It then struck Zuko, too.

Utterly distraught, the creature retreated from the abbey into the forest.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Aang said. The women of the abbey began to scurry from the protection of their homes, and offered to 'take care of' Zuko, the woman, and Iroh.

Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Ashlynn all mounted Appa, and quickly flew up into the air.

* * *

"What do we do now," Aang asked hours later. It was sunset, and the sky was clear and illuminated with a glowing incandescent color.

"We're getting you to the north pole," Katara said with a smile. "Yeah, we've already wasted enough time," Sokka chuckled slightly.

"What about your father?" Ashlynn asked suddenly. Sokka gazed over at her, and then looked away as he said "We want to see him, but Aang's the priority here. He's our family too."

"You need us, and we need you," Katara smiled at Aang. "I really wish I could give you something Katara, something that'd just... really make you so happy," Aang said teasingly.

"I'm fine Aang," Katara grinned reassuringly. "Still, just a little something... Maybe, like this?" Aang said, and proceeded to show Katara that he'd gained possession of her missing necklace.

"Oh! Where did you get that?!" Katara exclaimed, and snatched the necklace from his hand and placed it around her neck, where it belonged.

"Zuko asked me to give it to you," Aang giggled. "Aw, how sweet of him," Katara said sarcastically. They laughed, but Ashlynn didn't find it funny in the least. She ignored it, however, and grinned as Katara kissed Aang on the cheek. She giggled as she saw him blush.

Then, together, the reunited companions continued on their way to the North Pole, complete and whole once again.


	15. Chapter 15

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. _

_  
__A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...__**  
**__  
_"Come on guys, I'm sure there's a town around here somewhere where we can resupply our food and needs," Ashlynn said midday following their departure from the abbey. "Good idea," Aang agreed, and steered Appa towards the ground below. Within their line of sight was a clearing in a forest, in which bulletin board for wanted posters and a map was located.

When Appa landed each person dismounted and ran to the board. "This is sure to give us a good idea of what's around here," Katara said, examining the map. "I recognize this area, actually," Ashlynn said without looking at the map once. The forestry and fiery glow to the area gave her a sense of familiarity, and she was almost certain she'd been to the same place at least once before.

"Really?" Aang asked curiously. Ashlynn nodded. "I'm sure the Fire Days Festival is soon, unless it already passed."

"Actually, it's today," Katara replied and pointed to an ad next to the map. Aang and Ashlynn read the poster as well. "Wow Aang, it'd be a perfect spot for you to get a good view at real fire benders," Katara suggested aloud. "I'd have to disagree. Even if it's a small fire nation town, it's still fire nation. People will still be looking for Aang," Ashlynn reminded them casually.  
"I'd have to agree. There are wanted posters here, one is of Aang," Sokka told them, and pointed out a picture of Aang mounted upon the board amidst several other wanted posters. Ashlynn recognized a few others, but didn't speak of her knowledge on the matter. "Yeah- Maybe it's best we kept moving onward," Katara sighed with frustration. "Come on guys, I really got to learn fire bending, and I really doubt I'll get many opportunities like this one," Aang pleaded.

Katara thought about it for a moment, then sighed and nodded her head reluctantly in agreement. Sokka just gaped at her with disbelief. "We can wear disguises," Ashlynn reassured Sokka. "And leave if there's trouble," Katara added. Sokka frowned and followed them back towards where Appa had landed. Then, together the companions walked towards the foot of a cliff, where they had to stop, or else Appa would surely be spotted.

"Alright, Appa and Momo you guys wait here while we go into town," Aang told his furry companions. They obediently, and gratefully walked back to the edge of the forest and made an attempt to sleep.

Katara proceeded to remove their cloaks from her pack. She tossed one to Sokka, and one to Ashlynn, and placed the third on herself. Together, the three threw up the hoods to conceal their faces. Aang did the same with his own clothing, despite the fact that there wasn't much of a hood to be had. Then, together they walked off in the direction of the town.

The town was alive with music and laughter. There were drums sounding the background, setting a perfect mood for the occasion. Kids were bustling about with firecrackers, and adults were watching performances, or dancing to the music. Everyone in the town was wearing a mask, as it was a part of the festival. Even though she wore no mask, Ashlynn felt immediately at home. It had been a while since she'd last set foot in a cultural activity such as the festival.

"We'd better get masks," Katara said quickly, and looked around for a stand. "Over here," Ashlynn responded, and pointed in the direction of a mask-stand nearby. Together, the four friends walked over and each bought a fitting mask.

Then, they each looked around for an activity to participate in. Ashlynn craved dancing, but said nothing of it. She was a particularly good dancer, in terms of fire-nation dancing, but didn't wish to embarrass herself in front of her friends whom weren't relatively close to being fire-nation.

"Hey look, food!" Aang exclaimed as he set eyes upon a food stand. "Finally, I'm starved!" Sokka said with a certain desire in his eyes. He marched right over to the stand and paid for the food, without bothering to notice the name of the food: 'flaming fire flakes.' After a bite he yelled out in surprise, realizing that the food was spicy. Ashlynn giggled, and took the food from him.

"You can have it," Sokka uttered, even more miserable now that his tongue felt like it was set on fire. Ashlynn giggled again, and proceeded to eat the fire flakes. "How can you stand that," Sokka cried out in an almost horrified tone. "I grew up in the fire nation; I've developed a taste for spicy," she winked, and continued to snack. Sokka glared at her a moment, and together they followed Aang and Katara as they viewed different activities.

They walked by a group of people playing a moody song with various instruments. There were people dancing traditional fire-nation dances. Ashlynn gazed at them longingly, and sighed as her desire to relieve her natural urges began to swallow her emotions. She finally gave up when a young man asked her to dance.

"Care to dance, pretty lady?" the man queried. "Sir, she's with us, I---" Sokka began to protest, but Ashlynn interrupted him. "I'd love to," she smiled from beneath her mask. She felt like the young man was smiling back at her from beneath his.

Sokka, Katara, and Aang each watched with shock but with awe as they watched their friend begin to dance almost as naturally as eating and bathing. It looked as though she was born to be a dancer, or at least like she'd practiced it her whole life. Sokka frowned with jealousy as the pair grew closer and closer with each step, and secretly wished he were capable of doing fire nation dances. It angered him that their natural dances required such closeness. "When will this stupid song end, we're wasting time," Sokka spoke bitterly to Aang and Katara.

Just as he questioned it, the song ended. The crowd around all the dancers clapped excitedly, and the man and Ashlynn bowed to one another deeply. Ashlynn hurried back over to her friends. "That was a beautiful dance," Katara said with admiration. "Yeah, _really_ beautiful..." Sokka followed sarcastically. "You're a wonderful dancer," Aang grinned. "Thanks guys," Ashlynn smiled, and was very grateful for the opportunity to be able to participate in one of her own cultures activities.

"Hey look at this crowd forming," Aang said suddenly as a wave of people went rushing passed them into a growing crowd before a stage. "It's got to be something good, with all these people here," Aang smiled with excitement, and ran into the crowd to find out what was catching everyone's attention.

It turned out to be a man showing off his skill in fire-bending.

"Wow I got to learn these tricks!" Aang declared determinedly, and pushed his way through the thick crowd. Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn each linked arms and followed Aang through the crowd, being careful not to lose one another. The four companions halted right in front of the stage, giving Aang a glorious view of the expertise moves of the fire-bender.

The crowd roared with applause as the man finished his current move. "For my next act I need a little help from someone in the audience," the man said. The only person to raise their hand was Aang. The man considered him for a moment, but then pointed at Katara. "What about you, little lady?" he suggested. Katara backed away, making sure her face remained concealed by the mask.

"She's shy! Give her some encouragement, folks!" he said to the crowd, and each person exploded into abrupt yelling as they urged her to go up on stage. The man grasped Katara's quivering arm and pulled her up next to him.

"Don't worry Aang, she'll be fine," Ashlynn reassured Aang who was getting more and more worried with each passing second.

"This next move is called Taming the Dragon! This lovely young lady is going to be my captive princess," the fire-bender explained as he sat Katara down in a chair at the center of the stage. He bound her with ropes so she'd be unable to run away. He then took a step back and proceeded to conjure up fire in the shape of a dragon.

Aang finally had had it when the fire-bender allowed his flaming dragon to swoop down right over Katara's head, nearly setting her hair aflame. "We got to help her," Aang cried, and jumped up on stage. "Aang, wait!" Ashlynn shouted and followed him up on stage, ignoring Sokka's frustrated cries for her not to join him.

Without thinking twice- Aang air-bended the flaming beast into oblivion, and sent a gust of wind throughout the crowd, and also knocked over the skilled fire-bender. The whole crowd booed, and Ashlynn ran over to Katara and untied the ropes. Then, someone from the crowd shouted "Hey, that kid is the Avatar!"

Ashlynn turned toward the sound and saw that everyone was gasping and looked as though they were prepared to strike. "Time to go," Sokka quickly said, and hopped up on stage and grasped Ashlynn's wrist and pushed Aang with his other hand in the direction to the side of the stage where there wasn't part of the crowd waiting to butcher them.

Katara followed behind them as they each hopped off the stage, ignoring the guards' orders to halt and remain put. Then, from within an alleyway a man said "Follow me, I'll get you guys out of here." He was garbed in a dark cloak and all but his eyes were completely concealed. Without hesitation, the group followed the man. When they passed him he threw a smoke bomb in front of the guards, giving them time to disappear from their line of vision.

They ran through the heart of the town, narrowly avoiding being captured by the guards. Then, they ran down another alleyway, which led to a dead end right in front of an enormous box filled to the hilt with unlit fireworks. Suddenly, Appa swooped down upon them. "Wow, that bison whistle really does work," Sokka exclaimed, making it clear that during the scuffle Aang had called Appa to them.

Everyone hopped into Appa's saddle, and with final determination to fight the guards off, the mysterious man tossed one more bomb into the center of the box of fireworks.

Fireworks shot off in every direction, and Ashlynn gasped as one flew up past Appa's side. She watched it shoot up high into the sky, and gazed in awe as the area lit up in multiple colors.

"You're pretty good with explosives," Sokka told the mysterious man as he revealed his face for the first time by pulling down his hood. "I'm... familiar," he replied in an almost sad tone. "You're fire nation!" Katara gasped in realization. "I was... My name is Chey," he introduced himself. Aang then introduced the group as he flew Appa down to a safe spot hidden within the nearby forest.

Before getting too familiar with one another's stories, they made a fire, and sat around it to exchange experiences and get to know one another better. Ashlynn found Chey's story to be rather intriguing, especially because it involved the legendary Jeong-Jeong.

Chey left the fire nation, and served the fire-bender known as The Deserter. He was a high ranked soldier in the fire nation, but couldn't take the insanity of what the fire nation was involved in, so he left. Chey had followed him shortly thereafter.

"That's amazing, I'd always hoped I'd get the opportunity to meet Jeong-Jeong," Ashlynn said excitedly. "It really is an honor," Chey replied with a half smile.

"We got to go see him! He's a fire bender not with the nation, this is perfect!" Aang cried out, standing up suddenly. "We're not going out of our way to find some crazy old man to train you, Aang," Sokka declared. "He's not crazy!" Chey and Ashlynn retorted. Chey eyed her for a moment, and then continued. "He's the perfect person to train the Avatar, that's why I followed all of you," Chey explained.

"Sokka, this could be my only chance..." Aang begged.

"It can't hurt just to talk to him," Ashlynn reassured Sokka.

Then, a group of disguised people with spears jumped down from the trees above and surrounded them. "Don't move," they ordered to each and every one of them.

"Quickly, come with us," another man demanded, and prodded the tip of the spear into Chey's back, forcing him to move ahead unless he wished to be punished. The rest of the group unwillingly followed them into the dark depths of the forest interior.

"Jeong-Jeong told you not to look for the Avatar, Chey," one man spat angrily after several minutes of walking. "Oh, so you know them?" Sokka asked bitterly. "Sure I do," Chey said with a worried chuckle afterwards.

The men guided them to a small clearing, where several huts surrounded a flowing river. By then it was late, and the moon was shut out by thick clouds, making it darker than normal. One man ordered Chey to go see Jeong-Jeong, and pushed him off in the direction of the master's hut. Then, he showed Katara, Sokka, Ashlynn and Aang to a hut where they could stay for the remainder of the evening.

They set a small fire to keep warm with in the center of the hut, and quickly set up their sleeping bags. Sokka was the first one out, and Katara was the second. Thirdly, Ashlynn fell asleep. Aang stayed up the remainder of the evening.

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Ashlynn awoke in the morning and, as usual, everyone else was up before her. She crawled out from underneath her blankets and removed her cloak. She then removed her shirt, and pulled another one, designed for swimming, from Katara's bag. She threw that one on over herself, snagged her own bag, and left the hut.

Down by the river, the legendary Deserter was busy teaching Aang while Katara practiced her water-bending. Ashlynn studied Jeong-Jeong for a moment, and grinned as she realized how lucky she was to be so close to such a legend. She then walked down to the river.

"I hope you don't mind I borrow your shirt Katara, I need to sew mine up from the whip it received from that bounty-hunter," Ashlynn said. Katara shook her head. "No, it's fine!"

Jeong-Jeong walked past Ashlynn, and she quickly gave a respectful bow. He stopped a moment and eyed her carefully. Then, after a courteous nod, he continued on his way, leaving Aang in a disciplined squat. Ashlynn then walked over to where Sokka was fishing, and decided to keep him company as she sewed up her white shirt.

"Hey bud," Ashlynn smiled as she crawled up onto the rock Sokka was seated on. "Hey," he replied with slight enthusiasm. She set the pack next to herself and retrieved a needle and some thread. She saw Sokka smile out of the corner of her eye. However, it didn't last long.

"Wow!" Sokka exclaimed suddenly and dropped his fishing pole without a second's thought. "What is it?" Ashlynn asked worriedly. "Your back..." Sokka responded as he turned for a better view of the wound on her back. "Oh, I forgot about that," Ashlynn said and bit her lip and gave him an apologetic look. "The same whip that your shirt got?" he asked, and she nodded in response.

Ashlynn twitched with stinging pain as she felt Sokka place a rough hand on the edges of the raw, scabbed skin. "Sorry I couldn't prevent it..." Sokka whispered suddenly as he withdrew his hand. Ashlynn ignored the awkward feeling she had, and continued to sew her shirt. "It's okay, she wasn't a match for me anyway," she reassured him. She looked up suddenly and saw Katara staring at them. When Katara saw that Ashlynn noticed her looking, she quickly turned away.

"Hey guys, Jeong-Jeong and I are going up to that mountain. Be back later!" Aang told his companions excitedly a few moments later. "See you, Aang," Katara said and waved goodbye.

Katara continued her water bending, while Sokka continued fishing. When Ashlynn finished sewing her shirt she slipped off her accessorized pieces of her outfit, leaving just the swim top and her shorts on. She stepped into the cool water, and let it cover her feet. She inhaled, and then sighed with cooled relief.

"I always wished I were a water-bender," she told Katara as she walked through the water over to her. Katara was standing next to where the river became deeper, and so Ashlynn emerged fully into the water, appreciating a cold, relaxed sensation. "How come?" Katara asked as she set down her water and removed her outer clothing. She stepped into the river as well, dressed in a suitable swimming outfit underneath her usual dress.

"It seems like such a peaceful skill. I love water, despite that I'm fire nation," Ashlynn explained as she allowed the still waters to float her around the area. She closed her eyes as she tilted her head up towards the blazing sun.

"I caught one!" Sokka shouted suddenly, and the sound of splashing fish caught on the line could be heard from where Sokka was sitting. "Good, now why not join us?" Ashlynn giggled, and swam over to Sokka. "Why?" he asked dumbly. "Cause it's fun," she giggled again and splashed him.

Sokka covered his face to deflect the water headed in that direction, and then set the fish inside the net he had to keep the fish in. He then immediately stripped down to his swim clothing, and jumped in after Ashlynn. She laughed, and ducked underwater and quickly swam away. Sokka chased after her, and Katara chased after him, and together the three spent the remainder of the afternoon enjoying the short vacation.

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In the early evening, Jeong-Jeong and Aang returned. Aang had yet to learn fire bending, and for that he was frustrated; All Jeong-Jeong wanted to teach him was discipline.

Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn had lain out by the river, and each in turn fallen asleep throughout the day, but now they were up and back to productive activity. Ashlynn took up the duty of washing their travelling clothes, while Sokka continued fishing. Katara, of course, remained with practicing her bending skills.

When Aang finally accepted the disciplinary acts as necessary, Jeong-Jeong decided it was time he practiced fire-bending. Jeong-Jeong left him with an annoyingly difficult task, when one of his men came and warned him of nearby trouble. Without telling them what was going on, Jeong-Jeong left with the man, ordering Aang to continue concentrating.

"This is the worst bending instruction ever," Aang sighed bitterly. "Think about it Aang... Jeong-Jeong is a master, and he knows what he's doing," Ashlynn reassured him. "I'm sure there's a good reason for what he's taught you," Katara followed. Sokka remained silent, as he had no say in the matter. Aang sighed, and returned to the new stance he'd learned as he tried to concentrate.

Ashlynn watched as Aang suddenly turned the leaf he was holding into a well-fed flame. She stood up, suddenly concerned, for she doubted Aang could act mature enough to keep it at a minimum.

"Look, I'm fire-bending!" Aang shouted with glee. "That's great Aang! ...But, you should take it slow..." Katara warned. Aang disregarded her comment, and began tossing the flame about. Ashlynn ran over to Katara's side. "Aang, stop, you'll hurt someone," Ashlynn demanded. He ignored her as well.

"I wonder how that fire-bender did that trick..." Aang said, and suddenly shot a ring of flame out in all directions. Ashlynn and Katara cried out suddenly, and Ashlynn fell flat on her stomach to avoid the sudden flame. Katara, however, wasn't so lucky. She shot her hands out in front of her, and as a result got burned by the fire.

"Katara- I'm so sorry!" Aang gasped suddenly, and flew over to where Ashlynn and Katara were huddled. Katara was crying, and Ashlynn was trying to comfort her. "What'd you do?!" Sokka cried out suddenly as he joined the fray. "It was an accident, I---" Aang started, but then Sokka lunged at him, knocked him over, and pinned him to the ground.

"We warned you! We told you multiple times not to mess with this stuff! How could you? You burned her! You almost hurt Ashlynn too!" Sokka screamed into Aang's face, whom was on the verge on crying too. Katara suddenly got up, and ran away, still crying. Aang watched her with genuine worry, while Ashlynn glared at him from afar. Even Zuko, as impatient as he was, had never been so careless.

Jeong-Jeong suddenly reentered the clearing. "Jeong-Jeong, this is your entire fault! He burned Katara!" Sokka shouted, wrongly accusing Aang's teacher. "I know, but now is not the time. Each of you must leave- Now!" Jeong-Jeong ordered. "I...I'm sorry..." Aang tried to say, but Sokka marched off to pack their things, ignoring him completely. Ashlynn ran off in the direction Katara had gone to, leaving Aang behind to own up to what he'd done.

When Katara came into view, Ashlynn gasped and watched as Katara placed her hands in the water of the river. As she did so, a glowing light surrounded her hands, and she pulled her hands from the water. Her hands were miraculously cured.

"You have healing abilities," came the voice of Jeong-Jeong. Ashlynn shot him a confused glance, curious as to how fast he got over here, especially given his older age.

"I always wished I were blessed like the water benders who sometimes have such abilities. But, I am cursed," he said solemnly as Ashlynn sat down next to Katara.

"You have powers that I'll never know. You're a master at what you do, and that's a great gift," Katara said with admiration. "No... Water brings healing, and life. Fire... only brings destruction," he sighed sadly. As soon as he said this, a giant flame was shot at in their direction. With quickened reflexes, Jeong-Jeong stood up and fire-bended it out of their way, protecting Ashlynn and Katara.

Down the river were three iron ships, clearly belonging to the fire nation. "Get your friends and leave!" Jeong-Jeong commanded with a cry, and without hesitation Ashlynn and Katara ran back towards where the huts were.

Sokka was busy placing all their belongings up onto Appa's saddle. "Are you both alright?" Sokka asked, and Katara nodded. "I'm fine, where's Aang?" she question, and Sokka pointed towards Jeong-Jeong's hut. Katara ran to grab Aang.

"Why are you both in such a hurry," Sokka inquired bitterly. "Because, there are fire nation ships down the river. I believe it's Zhao and his soldiers, and they have Jeong-Jeong," Ashlynn explained. Just then, Aang and Katara ran past them. "Where are you both going?" Ashlynn shouted after them, and followed quickly. She noticed that Sokka followed behind her.

Down the river, the three boats had docked, and they had Jeong-Jeong in custody. "Oh look, the Avatar," said Zhao, who was, as expected, the commander of the small fleet. He then ordered his men to bind Jeong-Jeong while he settled the long needed physical dispute between himself and Aang.

Jeong-Jeong sent a blast of fire in all directions, clouding his appearance, and then ran into the forest. Zhao's soldiers followed him.

Ashlynn went to help Aang, but Katara grabbed her shoulder. "Don't. It's his battle," she told her. Ashlynn hesitated a moment, then nodded, and together her, Sokka, and Katara watched the battle from afar. Appa walked up aside them a moment later, and then the three crawled up into his saddle as they continued to watch the battle.

Each of them laughed and applauded as they watched Aang guide Zhao up onto his own ships. Zhao had little self control over his own bending; his mind was only set on getting Aang into his hands. Everywhere he sent a blast of fire, a sudden flame shot up on his ships. Finally, Aang made it obvious to him that he'd burned each of his ships. Zhao's angry shouts could be heard from over the roaring fire as he was lost within the flames.

Aang had jumped into the water and swam to shore shortly after his fight. "Aang, let's go," Sokka shouted over to him. Aang jumped up into the saddle, and they hurriedly flew up into the air.

"Aang, you're burned," Katara pointed out after a few minutes of flying. Aang looked down at his burnt arm, and then curiously watched as Katara bended water from her water sack, and healed Aang's wound.

"Wow, when did you learn to do that?" Sokka asked with awe. "I guess I always had it in me, I just didn't know," she replied quietly.

"Well then, would you mind?" Ashlynn requested while pulling off her top and pointing to the wound on her back. Katara nodded eagerly, and healed the wound from the whip on her back, leaving only a thin scar along it.

"Thanks," Ashlynn smiled.

Then, the group silently rode off into the night, continuing on their way up to the North Pole.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. ___

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

_  
_Ashlynn yawned out of extreme boredom as she listened to a campfire story about air nomads. What she heard she'd already heard multiple times before. Katara and Aang were the two thoroughly fascinated, while Sokka and Ashlynn were on the verge of collapsing into a deep slumber.

The group had willingly taken a break from flying the day before, and continued travelling on foot. While walking on foot, they came across other travelers who were out hiking for the sake of hiking. So, they took up joining them in their hike, and at night they camped out around a large fire and listened to stories.

When the elder man finished his tale about his sighting of the air nomads, Aang eagerly went to applaud the storyteller. "It must have been a hundred years ago since they were spotted," he told the man in awe. The man gave him a bewildered look, and responded "What are you crazy? They were spotted just the other week."

Aang's eyes widened at the idea, and immediately asked where at. The man proceeded to tell him they were seen at the Northern Air Temple.

"We got to go check it out!"Aang declared excitedly. Ashlynn sighed heavily, knowing that whatever was at the temple wasn't an air nomad, like Aang was expecting them to be.

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Aang, Ashlynn, Katara, and Sokka departed from the weary travelers in the morning, and flew off on Appa in the direction of the Northern Air Temple. Naturally, Katara was more than pleased to go on a short detour of a legendary location; Sokka and Ashlynn, on the other hand, weren't so enthusiastic.

"This is ridiculous. We're so close to the Northern Water Tribe, so why are we stopping to check out something that isn't what the both of you think it could be," Sokka muttered bitterly, nearly tripping over his own string of jumbled words. "You don't think it's worth checking out?"Aang asked curiously.

"No, I don't. Ashlynn doesn't either, despite what she's making each of you think," Sokka replied nastily and shot Ashlynn a disappointed look. She frowned at him slightly, then locked onto Aang's face and nodded her agreement. "If there are air nomads though..." Aang trailed off into contemplative silence.

"Aang, there won't be," Ashlynn reluctantly announced to him.

"Then tell me, what do you think THAT is?" Katara spoke abruptly and pointed to the distance ahead of them. Aang and Ashlynn both gasped in surprise and disbelief.

The mountain ahead of them beheld the temple, but that wasn't what had them in shock. Rather, it was the fact that it seemed like there were people with gliders like Aang's flying all around the temple. "Air benders!" Katara grinned and clapped her hands together in glee.

Aang sat back and frowned. "No, they aren't air benders..." he said, annoyed."They're flying though," Sokka responded, confused.

"They aren't air bending though," Ashlynn told her companions. She realized what Aang saw: they were ordinary humans who had built gliders meant for those who weren't air benders.

A kid who looked to be around Aang's age flew right over them, laughing all the while. He was seated in a wheel chair, which had the fans of a glider attached to them. He was disabled, clearly, but that didn't stop him from enjoying fun that the rest of his people had.

Aang jumped off Appa with his own glider, more than prepared to show off the art of true air-bending. Meanwhile, Appa continued to fly towards the temple to safe ground. As they neared the temple, more and more humans on gliders began to circle them, obviously interested in their appearance there. The people of the temple landed with them, and everyone gathered around to watch the 'gliding duel' between the disabled boy and Aang.

Ashlynn managed to pick up the boy's name from the crowd that cheered him on. His name was Teo, and he was probably the best glider amongst the people, despite his disadvantage.

When both boys had had their fun, they landed on the surface of the temple nearest the larger crowd. Aang loyally paced back over to the sides of his companions, and watched the young boy, Teo, as his glider was removed from his wheel chair. Then, he rolled his way over to congratulate Aang on his flying success.

"You're a... real air bender!" Teo exclaimed excitedly as he recognized the tattoos on Aang's skin. "Not JUST an air bender, but the Avatar," Ashlynn stated happily. "That's amazing!" Teo gasped.

Aang grinned and nodded his thanks. Sokka interrupted the moment as he expressed his fascination for the gliders and how they worked. "If you think these are cool, you should check out everything else my father makes. He's a genius," Teo smiled up at Sokka. Then, he reeled around and made his way towards the interior of the temple.

Sokka gasped with amazement as he took in the sight of the inside of the ancient temple. Naturally, beauty was in the eye of the beholder, and Sokka indeed deemed the temple beautiful. Ashlynn and Aang, on the other hand, frowned with severe disappointment as they laid their eyes upon the many iron tubes busting between walls. The stone walls were ancient, and crumbling, yet still managed to support the weight of so many weighty hollowed mechanized tubes. There were cracks in the walls from the weight, and still it held out.

"My dad is the mastermind behind this work of art. He had the idea of using hot air, so that's how we get in and around this place," Teo explained. "This place is... unbelievable..." Aang sighed sadly. "Yeah, it's great huh?" Teo grinned back.

"No..." Aang muttered bitterly. "Simply unbelievable," Ashlynn followed.

"Well... not the entire temple is like this. Come on, I'll show you," Teo said, and proceeded to continue down a narrow hallway. The group followed him through the hallway, which extended to a stone bridge outside the walls. They followed him across the aged bridge into a courtyard. The courtyard is what hadn't been touched by machinery yet.

Aang grinned as he admired the age-old circular terrace.

It was built with white marble, although it had faded to an elder yellow color. There were statues of air nomads in-between pillars. Aang went up to a statue to have a closer look at it. "It's so nice knowing this section hasn't been destroyed yet," he smiled gratefully.

Almost as soon as he spoke, a loud crash was heard from before them. Ashlynn cried out and blocked her eyesight with an arm in natural reflex. She coughed from the forming dust and dirt, and then attempted to peer through the forming dirt clouds.

Before them no longer stood the statue- Instead, a group of men lead by one man who could be no one other than Teo's father stood in its place. "You people should be more careful! Don't you know better than to keep away from our construction zones? We're trying to build the bath house!" the head man scolded.

Aang quivered with anger, and shouted out at the man unexpectedly. "You just destroyed a sacred area for a stupid bath house!" In rash frustration, Aang sent a gust of wind past Teo's father and his construction men, forcing it to strike the catapult behind them, sending it off the cliffside into the mountainous abyss beneath them.

Teo's father merely stared at Aang curiously. "I've seen it when the monks were here, and I know what it's supposed to be like!" Aang shouted up at Teo's father.

"The monks?" Teo's father queried. "Dad, he's the Avatar!" Teo explained excitedly to his father as he moved his wheelchair to his side. "You shouldn't even be here. Why are any of you even here?!" Aang cried out in rage.

"Doing here...? Well..." Teo's father began. "Not too long ago, when Teo was an infant, I and my people were all refugees. We suffered from a terrible flood, in which my wife died... and Teo was... badly injured..." he retold with dismal distress. Aang lowered his staff for a moment as he felt remorse for the older man.

"I... needed somewhere to rebuild. Then, I found this place! I couldn't believe my own eyes; there were pictures of flying people all about these walls. I stumbled across the abandoned gliders, which gave me a wonderful idea... So, I created a new life for my son, a life where he'd be able to fly, unlike any mortal can do!" he finished gleefully.

"I think you went too far with it," Aang muttered. Teo's father took what he said into consideration a moment, but then gasped as he realized he still had other activities to attend to. He offered for them to follow him; Sokka did very eagerly. Aang didn't move, and Katara and Ashlynn stuck by his side, as did Teo.

"Aang, there's something I want to show you," Teo said with a small smile. Aang gave him a forced half-smile, and nodded, indicating he was ready to be led onward. Teo turned his rolling chair about, and began to head down a nearby tunnel. Aang, Katara, and Ashlynn followed without hesitation.

"I can't believe that nothing here is the same..." Aang murmured quietly. "The animals here are probably direct descendants of the one's you've known one hundred years ago. Those haven't changed," Teo told him reassuringly. The idea that at least the critters were the same seemed to cheer Aang up slightly.

"Besides, there's one place I know for sure hasn't changed. Come on, let's go!" Teo grinned, and quickened the pace down the hall. Aang, Katara, and Ashlynn ran after him. They ran around a corner, down another hall, and around another corner that led them straight to a final hallway. If Teo had meant the hallway hadn't changed, he'd be correct, for every air nomad painting on the walls about them was still intact.

Yet, what Teo had meant was at the end of the hallway.

"Aang... It's just like the one at the Southern Air Temple!" Katara exclaimed. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway, awaited another giant door with tubes that would guide air through them to unlock the doors, similar to that of the one at the first air temple they'd been to.

"Only an air bender can open this door, so whatever happens to be inside hasn't been touched by anyone here," Teo grinned. "I'm sorry... I'm sure you want to know what's beyond that door, but... It's the only part of the temple that hasn't been touched. I'd like it to stay that way," Aang said solemnly. Teo nodded with understanding. Then, they all turned around and slowly walked back through the long and preserved hallway.

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Back outside in the main portion of the temple, Teo made the suggestion of showing Katara and Ashlynn how to use one of their glider's. "It's really not all that terrifying once you get used to it. You don't even have to do much work, because it's the air that's carrying you around," Teo explained as he guided them to two unused gliders.

Ashlynn picked hers up, and guided it to a proper place to jump off of. She gulped as she looked downward into the nothingness below. She exhaled deeply as she grasped the bars in front of her, making sure that the fans of the glider were above her, and that her feet were firmly planted on the ground beneath her as well.

"Just do it; trust the air, it'll take care of you," Teo told both her and Katara. Katara looked to be twice as terrified as Ashlynn, however. Ashlynn grinned over at her friends. "Come on Katara, let's go!" she said loudly, and then jumped right off over the edge.

She screamed at first, as did Katara when she jumped. The air rushing past her dried out her eyes slightly, and all she envisioned was a continuous fall to the death below. Then, as if to cure her of her growing fear, a wind began to blow that carried her high up into the sky. That was when her terrified screams turned into joyous laughing.

"I've never felt so... free!" she shouted over the winds at Katara, and Aang as they flew about her. "This is so incredible!" Katara shouted back. Aang grinned at them both, and made a comment about how spirited Teo was, given his disability. Aang then landed back on the surface next to Teo to speak to him. Katara and Ashlynn, however, remained in the air longer, unwilling to land just yet.

The air carried them up, down, back and forth; all directions. Ashlynn never stopped smiling, and even laughed more when Katara swallowed a bug.

"Guys come down! I'm going to open that air door!" Aang shouted up at them. "How exactly do I land?!" Katara shouted back desperately. "Watch me Katara!" Ashlynn yelled back, hoping to see if she was capable of landing without instruction.

She veered her glider downwards towards the surface. Yet, as she did so, a strong gust of wind blew into her, and the fan of her glider began to shred as it did so. As it tore, the glider began to dive downward towards the stone floor yards beneath her. She screamed as her fears became more and more realistic as she got closer and closer to her death. Ashlynn released her hold on the damaged glider and let it fly away from her, and she instinctively shot her arms out beneath her.

Then, suddenly, she was okay. She blinked in surprise as she realized the cool surface was directly under her body, and her stomach was laying atop the arms that she had shot out in front of her.

"Ashlynn, what'd you---?" Aang gasped as he ran over to her.

"I... what... What happened?" she gasped as she sat up."Did you break my fall with air bending?" she asked Aang as she looked up at him. His eyes widened as he shook his head at her.

"Ashlynn... Did you just... air bend?" Teo asked in shock. "What? Of course not!" she spat in annoyance. "Yeah, she's not an air bender," Aang frowned.

"See, watch," Ashlynn said, and envisioned shooting a gust of air out in front of her. As expected, nothing occurred.

"Ashlynn!!!" came Katara's worried voice. Clearly, she'd had a much safer landing that Ashlynn. "You're alive?! How?" Katara gasped as she realized Ashlynn was awake and well.

"I'm telling you, she air bended to break her fall! How else could she survive?" Teo argued. Katara gaped at Ashlynn. "No, she can't air bend you guys, she just tried. Besides, that'd be impossible, think about it," Aang said bitterly.

"Alright guys I don't think it matters. I'm alive; let's not worry about how it happened. I'm sure Aang just air bended me to safety without thinking of it. Now, let's go see that air door," Ashlynn said while getting up and brushing the dirt off her clothes. Everyone gave her a worried, but intrigued look, and then turned back to head towards the unopened door.

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Ashlynn was thankful that the idea of seeing what was beyond the sacred door distracted the minds of her companions. She didn't want them accusing her of being something she wasn't; something so illogical that it shouldn't even be a suggestion.

"I can't believe I'm finally going to get to see what's beyond this door!" Teo said with exhilarated excitement. "You guys ready for this?" Aang said teasingly, and everyone eagerly nodded. So, he proceeded to send a gust of wind through the pipes to unlock the ancient door.

What was beyond the door was enough to even distract Ashlynn from the day's earlier events.

"Oh no..." Aang whispered with disbelief. The room was littered with the symbol of the fire nation. Everywhere there was machinery, clearly meant for the creation of something.

Sure enough, the 'creation' lay at the back of the room. It looked like a massive balloon, half hidden by a massive blanket, but still visible enough to see the apparent fire nation symbol striking out at their bewildered eyesight.

"You don't understand!" came the voice of Teo's father from behind them. Aang angrily turned around a pointed a finger at the inventor. "You're making weapons for the fire nation!" he accused correctly. Right next to the man's side was Sokka, who apparently had been with the man all day. Even still, Sokka shouted back at him in anger. "You... make weapons for the fire nation!?" he cried out with fury.

"Explain this, father!" Teo shouted. The man lowered his head in shame as he retold the events leading up to the current nightmare.

"About a year after we moved here... The fire nation came... They threatened to destroy everything we had here. I begged them not to, but they wouldn't listen! The only way to get them to leave us alone was to... offer my services. Please understand, son, I did it for you!" Teo's father cried out desperately to his son, whose spirit had been shattered in minutes.

Teo's face quivered with disappointment, and anger, and he turned from his father's view.

"When are they coming?" Aang demanded. "Soon... very soon," the man said quietly.

"Don't give them anymore weapons!" Ashlynn cried out, hoping he would listen to reason. "If I don't... They'll destroy this place and everything I've worked so hard on..." he responded in an almost cowardly way.

"I can't be proud of you if you're using your talent to make inventions that are being used for murder," Teo frowned at his father. His father sighed, and begged they give him some time to think on the matter. "We're not leaving," Teo stated firmly. His father sighed, and then requested that they go with him back to the room where he worked on smaller inventions.

As they each entered the room, a little bell began to ring. Teo's father gasped, and quietly said "Hide! They're here, and they can't see you!"

In an unprofessional manner, everyone aside Teo's father hid as best as they could within the confinements of the small room. Then, when everyone was well hidden, Teo's dad granted passageway to the fire nation member who had come to collect what was owed to him. "Alright, hand it over," the man demanded. Teo's father hesitated, and glanced at Aang and Teo. "Right... this way," he sighed, and pointed towards the open door. When the fire nation man made a move to depart through the door, Aang jumped out to confront him.

"The deal is off," Aang declared courageously.

"The Avatar!" the fire nation man gasped, and for a moment he looked slightly surprised and even scared. Then, he regained his former posture and demanded that he was given the weapons he had come to collect. Aang demanded he left, and the man said "If you won't give me what I want, then this temple will burn. And, it'll be on YOUR head, young Avatar," he sneered, and turned around and exited.

"Come on, we got to hurry and prepare," Ashlynn said as she crawled out from her hiding place. Teo's father nodded in agreement, and together everyone ran to meet up with the rest of the temple's inhabitants.

"How are we supposed to stop a whole army of them?" Teo's father groaned in frustration. "We have air power, and they don't. Let's use it to our advantage," Aang grinned deviously.

With that idea in mind, the group set out to prepare a Hot-Air Balloon for flight, which would be an even larger advantage since the Fire Nation hadn't got their hands onone yet. Using the balloon and the gliding people, they would drop smoke bombs, stink bombs, and other bombs upon the fire nation as they paraded up the mountainside.

Sokka and Teo's father scurried off to get the balloon working, while everyone else prepared smaller bombs and got the gliders ready for use. Everything aside the balloon was ready when one of the look out's announced the arrival of the fire nation. "How can we do this without Sokka and the balloon?" Katara pondered worriedly. "We can start without him," Aang said, and mounted Appa. The designated flyers mounted their gliders as he did this. Ashlynn was one of them.

Together, everyone flyer ran off the cliffside and flew together in the direction of the soldiers that were marching up the snowy mountain. When the fire nation was in clear view, each flyer steered their glider downward. Ashlynn did the same, and prepared to drop one of the bomb sacks she'd been given.

She held on with one hand as she grasped one of the satchels with the other. Every fire nation soldier within eyesight was staring up at the flying defenders, yet they merely stood in bewilderment, instead of fighting back right away. When a soldier was in Ashlynn's clear view she chucked the bomb at him, and hit him square in the face. Before any of the soldiers' could attack back she guided her glider upwards to safety.

Diving in for an attack and then gliding upwards to safety became an effective strategy that each flyer learned to execute flawlessly. Aang had joined them with his gliders, and left Appa with Katara. Together, Appa and Katara remained hovered in the air, and supplied the fighters with more bombs as they ran out. The free-flying people cheered as they got the fire nation soldiers to break out into a runback down the mountain. Yet, that was not all to come.

Just as things seemed to be looking better, grappling hooks shot up from underneath the clouds and latched on to one of the more higher ledges of the mountainside. Ashlynn groaned when she dove beneath the clouds and saw that the chains were attached to mechanized fire nation vehicles. They would be more difficult to take down with small bombs. Yet, the gliding members of the temple tried valiantly to knock down what they could. As expected, however, it wasn't enough.

Ashlynn flew with her fellow fighters down the mountain to see what else was on their way. To her disbelief, more and more vehicles were on their way towards the mountain. Together, they threw more and more bombs on the machines, trying to slow their steady crawl up the snowed-over earth.

Eventually, Katara and Appa landed on the cliffside with Aang, and they worked together to try and stop the vehicles as well. They succeeded... slightly. Even when they managed to knock out several machines, there were dozens more to take its place.

"This isn't working, we need that balloon!" Ashlynn shouted to them as they retreated on Appa's back. "We're out of bombs, too," Teo shouted over to them as he glided by. "So... Sokka is our only hope," Ashlynn said quietly, and together they all looked out for the balloon that would determine the fate of the legendary temple.

"There it is!" Aang shouted suddenly, and pointed towards the temple. Sure enough, a giant war balloon with the fire nation insignia began to slowly float past them. It had three large satchels attached to its bottom, clearly showing it was well equipped with the necessary bombs.

Ashlynn and her companions watched with hope as the balloon floated down the mountainside and dropped one large bomb on the machinery below. A second bomb was dropped, and then a third. Unfortunately, it was still not enough.

"No... We failed..." Ashlynn whispered, her voice quivering. Katara put a hand on her shoulder for comfort as they watched the vehicles continue their ascent up the cliffside.

"Wait, what are they doing?" Aang asked, breaking the silence. Ashlynn looked over to the war balloon, and saw they were trying to toss the piece of machinery in it over the side into a large crevice below. "Wait; isn't that what's keeping them hoisted in the air?" Katara questioned. Ashlynn gulped, and said "Then that means---"

Then, a massive explosion went off. How it happened, Ashlynn didn't know. She screamed as thick, black smoke rose upward from where the crevice used to be. She covered her eyes and waited for the haze to clear. When it did, she saw the explosion had widened the crevice, creating a massive gap between the temple and the mountain. The fire nation had no choice but to retreat.

Everyone cheered as they acknowledged their victory. Everyone that is, except for Sokka and Teo's father.

"We're going down!" came Sokka's voice from the balloon that was falling down the massive gap at a hastened speed. "Sokka!" Katara and Ashlynn cried out together. Aang quickly opened his glider, and began to descend down the mountain to save the two men. Ashlynn mounted her own glider and followed, leaving Katara and Appa behind.

"Ashlynn, go back!" Aang shouted over at her. "I can help!" she cried back. "No! The only way to save them would be to carry them back on the glider, and a wind won't be strong enough to carry two people unless an air bender like me creates a stronger gust. You'll just plummet below," Aang shouted back as he veered downward towards the balloon. Ashlynn grunted, disagreeing wholeheartedly, and followed.

The two of them flew past the balloon, and without giving orders both men jumped from the balloon onto the gliders. Teo's father grabbed a hold on Aang's ankles, while Sokka grasped the backend bars of Ashlynn's glider. Ashlynn watched as Aang flew upwards with Teo's father, and she pointed her glider upward so it caught the wind flowing by.

"You're crazy Ash, you've killed us both!" Sokka cried from behind her. "No! We aren't dying today, my friend," she shouted back. Just as she intended, the glider successfully caught the wind current and flew upwards towards the stone flooring of the temple above.

When they hovered several feet above the safe ground the wind current dropped, and Ashlynn's glider fell with it. Ashlynn and Sokka collapsed on the ground near the forming crowd on the temple floor. Luckily, the impact was not hard enough to leave more than a few bruises.

"You really are crazy, Ash," Ashlynn heard Sokka say from nearby. She sat up and gasped in surprise as Sokka wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. She hesitated, and then hugged him back. "Thanks for the rescue," he said when they pulled apart. She nodded with a half smile in return.

"Aang," Sokka said as he stood up. He grasped Ashlynn's hand and pulled her up next to him. "You were right about air power. With the air on our side, we'll always have the fire nation on the run!" Sokka declared triumphantly, and the crowd around them roared with applause and many thankful comments to the group that had saved their temple from certain destruction.

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"I feel like we accomplished so much today," Aang said.

It was early evening, and the group had left Teo, his father, and their people behind only a few hours before. Appa now flew over the remainder of the snow-covered mountains surrounding the temple's location.

"You said it! Besides, I feel like such a genius. That mechanic and I came up with plenty brilliant ideas," Sokka announced proudly.

Ashlynn sat in one corner of Appa's saddle, half ignoring the ongoing conversation. She was more interested in the sudden random events that had occurred previously.

_You've got to be an air bender!  
_  
Ashlynn frowned as she recalled Teo's absurd comments. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder...

Ashlynn held an open hand out before her, facing her palm out towards her companions in front of her. None of them appeared to notice, so she proceeded to inhale deeply. Then, she imagined sending air out through her palm and her fingertips. She exhaled, and then gasped.

"What was that?!" Aang shouted as he looked directly at Ashlynn.

"I think I just... shot air out my hand!" Ashlynn exclaimed with pure shock.

"I'll say; I felt that fly right past my ear!" Katara said, nearly choking upon her own words. "Do it again, Ash," Sokka demanded quietly, in a very dark tone.

Ashlynn watched for herself this time, and watched as the visible wind flew from her hand past Katara's face again. She froze, and stared at her outstretched hand that had suddenly performed such a magical effect.

"Ashlynn..." Aang muttered with disbelief.

"You're an air bender!"


	17. Chapter 17

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. _

_  
__A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...___

"An air bender?"

"How?!"

"You lied!"

"This can't possibly be real!"

Ashlynn stared at her own two hands as she tried to figure out what was happening. She could hear her companions around her, shouting at her. They, too, were trying to make sense of it. "I didn't lie," she said as she looked up at Sokka, who'd accused her of being unfaithful several times already.

"You knew all along! How come you never helped us when we needed the extra bending?" he spat angrily.

"Sokka, it's wrong to accuse her of lying. If she knew she were an air bender she wouldn't have stuck around in the fire nation," Katara argued bitterly. "She only stayed because she had the hots for Zuko," Sokka retorted furiously.

"That's completely ridiculous, Sokka. She had no idea! You're being dumb and you're jumping to conclusions," Katara shouted back.

"Guys, stop it!!!" Aang burst, interrupting Sokka before he could make another hasty and unneeded comment. "You're acting like she's a fire bender who has been a spy for the fire nation all along. She's an AIR bender, and they're supposed to be extinct... save for me. You both should be rejoicing! It's a miracle that I'm not the only one!" Aang told Sokka and Katara, and gave them both frowns of disappointment.

"I'm just angry because she lied!" Sokka responded, and clenched his fists. "No, Sokka, she didn't. She had no idea! You're acting like she personally wronged you, when she didn't do anything!" Aang said, finally shutting him up.

"Guys, can we deal with this later? We're so close to the Northern Water Tribe, that this is far too pointless to be having at this moment," Ashlynn finally spoke up. Everyone looked at her for a moment, and Aang gave her one simple not of agreement.

"I don't even see the point anymore. We've been hovering above this ocean for hours and we haven't even found a single trace of water nation anything!" Sokka groaned. Ashlynn cast him an annoyed glance, but he didn't notice.

As soon as he spoke, thick ice rose up from the ocean right in Appa's direction. Aang cried in surprise, and veered Appa in another direction to narrowly avoid the sudden attack. Yet, the attackers were much quicker to respond, and cast another chain of ice at the group. This time, it froze up around Appa's leg, and he fell from the sky right into the ocean.

He floated for a moment, and right as he tried flying upwards again, ice was cast around the entire group, locking them in place. At first, everyone was going to panic, until they realized that it was water benders who had assaulted them. "We found them! We found the Northern Water Tribe!" Katara exclaimed excitedly.

As she said this, several canoes filled with people swam up to them.

"Avatar," one of the men upon the canoe spoke. "We've been expecting you. Follow us, please," he followed, and together the water benders released Appa from his icy hold. Then, the canoes swam off in another direction, and Aang guided Appa to slowly follow them.

For roughly fifteen minutes they swam in silence, but then Aang shouted excitedly as the Water Tribe's home came into full view. "There it is!" he exclaimed, and Katara gasped in awe.

Ashlynn couldn't help but smile. She knew Katara and Sokka were the most amazed of the group, for the Southern Tribe was more or less the size of one building from within the Northern. Even the entrance was massive, built entirely of thickened ice. The water benders on the canoes lowered the icy wall for a moment, granting the guests passage. Once they passed through, the frozen wall was repaired quickly.

Inside there were more gigantic ice walls, with more water benders standing atop them. Together, they worked to melt portions of the wall, making the water level rise. In doing this, the canoes and Appa were able to swim to shore. As Ashlynn watched this, she fully understood why a siege had never been cast upon the Northern Water Tribe. Not only was it fire's complete opposite, but it was heavily defended.

"Wow! There are so many water benders here!" Katara grinned, still in awe. "We'll find a teacher without any problem," Aang laughed, also thoroughly surprised.

The boats guided Appa through separate water channels towards a massive palace at the back of the homeland. All above them there were people rushing from their homes, dressed for fulltime winter. They peered out over bridges and from ledges down at the waters below them to get a decent look at the Avatar.

Finally, the boats docked at the foot of the grand palace. Appa stumbled on top of the icy ground. Since water still clung to his feet and fur, he was forced to slip and slide with Aang and his companions as they walked forward to greet the Chief of the Water Tribe.

"It's a pleasure, Avatar," the Chief Arnook said, and bowed before Aang. "I'm so glad to finally be here, and to be in your presence," Aang responded respectfully, and gave him a proper bow in returned. "I've brought some friends with me. This is Sokka and Katara, from the Southern Water Tribe," Aang said with a smile, and motioned towards Sokka and Katara.

"It's an honor to have members from our sister tribe here. We have not seen one another in many years," the chief said, and gave them a graceful nod.

"And this is Ashlynn, a prisoner of the Fire Nation, set free by our hand. We've recently discovered she's an air bender, like I," Aang explained, choosing his words carefully so as not to give the King and his subjects the idea that she was Fire Nation. "Is that so? An air bender? That is rather intriguing. Nonetheless, you are more than welcome here, "Chief Arnook said. "Thank you, your honor," Ashlynn said, and curtsied.

"We've had an entire banquet prepared for you. Please, join us for dinner. I will introduce you to all my advisers and most loyal companions, and make it known that you are, indeed, among us," the King requested. Aang smiled, and nodded in agreement. He followed the Chief into the palace, and so did the rest of the group, including Appa.

Inside was a great hall, built entirely of ice, like the rest of the city. There was a higher seating, designed for those highest in power. The chief sat there, and motioned to a long table in the center of the room, where Aang and his group could sit and eat heartily.

Aang, Ashlynn, Katara, and Sokka each sat down alongside the table. Ashlynn was careful to sit herself between Aang and Katara, so as to not be caught sitting next to Sokka, who was still annoyed with her. As they sat, more people filed into the room, and sat atop the stone steps on either side of the hall. Then,Chief Arnookrose to speak before the meal would begin to be consumed.

"Tonight we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe. They have also brought with them someone very special, someone who was believed to have disappeared from the world... Until now. They have brought with them... The Avatar!" he exclaimed to the audience about him. Everyone cheered happily, and Ashlynn was filled with relief as she realized how much spirit and hope was contained within the room.

"We also celebrate the birth of my daughter. Today, she turns sixteen years old. Princess Yue is now of marrying age," he followed, and gazed over at a young woman who was entering the room. Her hair was snow white, like the rest of the ice surrounding them. She had striking blue eyes, like the ocean, and had the complete look of royalty.

"Thank you, Father. May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us in these troubled times!" Princess Yue spoke to the audience about her. Chief Arnook nodded proudly to his daughter, and then turned to motion his hand towards an elderly man and two men that stood on either side of him. "Now, Master Paku and his students will perform for us," he spoke loudly and finally seated himself.

Ashlynn turned to watch the water bending master as he put on a water-bending show for Aang and his friends. "They called him MASTER Paku! He's probably going to be your teacher!" Ashlynn exclaimed to Aang, and he grinned as he realized it. Ashlynn was suddenly aware of the Princess Yue seating herself beside Sokka, and she instantly regretted placing herself between Aang and Katara. She attempted to wash aware the small sting of envy as she applauded for Master Paku.

Aang got up when the show was over to introduce himself to the Master. Ashlynn sighed as she stared down at her plate of foreign foods. She'd always grown up with meat, and foods that were hot and spicy... Not cold fish and different kinds of sea stews. She twitched angrily as she heard Sokka suggesting he and Yue get together sometime. She immediately stuffed her face angrily, and ignored the displeasure in taste.

Aang seated himself beside her moments later, and peered around her at Katara. "He agreed to train us! We start in the morning!" Aang grinned. Katara clapped her hands together and smiled excitedly. "Then, let's eat and rest up! We got a lot to do!" she grinned, and began eating her plate of sea food.

"Ashlynn, I was thinking that while we're here I could train you some in air bending. It'd be a lot of fun! I've never had a pupil before," Aang said happily. "Sure, I'd love that!" Ashlynn grinned, instantly cheering up. "I teach you some moves after dinner, if you like," he suggested hesitantly. "Well, I'm already done," Ashlynn said, and slowly pushed her half eaten plate away. Aang looked down at his, and nodded. "I'm not a fan of water tribe food either," he laughed.

Together, they stood up, bowed to the King, the Master, and the Princess, and excused themselves from the room, and walked to the outside of the palace. It was already well into the evening, but Ashlynn wasn't very tired.

"I'm guessing you probably don't know a whole lot about air benders, since I'm the only one you've ever been around," Aang said as she stopped at the foot of a snow mound. "You guess correctly," Ashlynn said, halting a few paces behind him.

"Every element is different, driven by the same thing. Fire consists of intensity, and ferocity. The benders use strong arm and leg movements. Water is benevolence, and adaptively. It's how Katara is so resourceful with water bending. She, and others, focus mainly on alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization," he explained as he drew the corresponding nation symbols in the snow mound with his glider.

Ashlynn nodded as she listened intently, and watched as he drew. "Earth is solid strength. The monks never taught me much about them... As far as I could tell they never got along with Earth Benders. But, Air... Air is peace and harmony. We use erratic and consistent circular motions. Air isn't really an element that can kill, it's an element that defends. Since we can't kill without using weapons or the resources around us, we're trained to be agile, and have fast reflexes so we can maintain health and protection if we're being attacked," he said as he drew the remaining air symbol.

"Guess I'll need a glider," Ashlynn giggled. Aang smiled, turned to face her, and nodded. "When you air bend, you want to always keep in mind that it isn't your job to harm. That's what the monks taught me. All we can do is halt our attackers, or become evasive, which generally annoys them. That's why we're associated with peace and harmony... Because, naturally- we don't have it in us to kill."

Ashlynn nodded, more than ready to try something out. "Air is about the flow of energy circulating through your body. We're strongest when we have the most energy. It's about energy, and breath intakes. When Jeong-Jeong was teaching me, all I wanted was to bend fire. I didn't listen to him and what he was trying to tell me. I didn't get to become a decent fire bender. I don't want you to act the same. I want you to get into an air bender shape. So, before I teach you moves, I want to design a daily work out for our stay here," Aang said as he glanced around the area.

Ashlynn sighed, but only protested in her mind. She didn't want to upset Aang, so she internally promised to do whatever he asked. "To learn to increase energy, you need to do something that will make you exhausted, and increase the amount you do it each day. While we're here, I'd suggest you start... Jogging or something- Maybe swimming. Swimming or jogging, or both, will get your learning how to conserve your bodies energy, as well as your breathing."

Ashlynn nodded again and said, "Should I do that now or...?"

"No. I'm thinking maybe I should teach you how to create a small wind, and you can practice that while you're completing a work out," Aang pondered aloud. "Sure, I can do that," Ashlynn said flatly.

"Alright, well, just inhale deeply, and place your hands out like this," he said, and demonstrated. Ashlynn thrust her arms straight out before her like he did, and bent her middle knuckles as well. She put her wrists together, like Aang did, and began to copy his arm thrusting movement. She could feel herself involuntarily inhaling each time she curled her arms into her chest, and then exhaling when she thrust them forward.

"It's good to see you've already got natural breath circulation. Now, on the next thrust forward, focus on sending the air in your body out through your palms, rather than your mouth or nose," he said, and then demonstrated as he shot a gust of wind out through his open palms before him. Ashlynn nodded, and then thrust her arms forward and created a wind slightly smaller than his. She gasped as she tried catching her breath.

"See, it uses up the breath in your body, which is why you need to practice conserving oxygen and taking in more of it. When you think you're in shape enough, I'd suggest meditating and focusing on slowly inhaling then exhaling," Aang said. Ashlynn nodded as her chest slowly began to stop heaving.

"Well, believe it or not, it's pretty late. Master Paku is expecting Katara and I in the morning. I think we'd better turn in," Aang said. Ashlynn nodded, and watched as Sokka and Katara came into view from outside the palace doors. Ashlynn frowned at Sokka, and looked back at Aang. "Chief Arnook said we each get our own rooms nearby," Aang explained to them when they were a full group again. Katara and Sokka nodded, and together they and Ashlynn followed Aang to a nearby building where new bedrooms had been designed for each of them.

Ashlynn moved into her room silently and shut the useable door behind her. She looked down at the bed on the floor, and shivered as she finally realized how cold it was. She tugged off her outer clothing, and quickly crawled into the bed. She sighed as she realized the blankets had heat preserved in them. She snuggled beneath them, and quickly fell asleep.

----------------------------------------------------

It was still darker than usual when Ashlynn awoke in the morning. She assumed sun didn't hit the northern pole often, or else the whole area would melt. She stepped outside after dressing herself up, and was informed by a nearby guard that the rest of her friends had already left. She nodded him with thanks, and quickly paced back towards the palace.

As Ashlynn neared the cold steps she saw Katara marching down them. "What's up Katara- Something wrong?" Ashlynn asked worriedly. "Yeah... Master Paku won't teach me because I'm a girl," Katara growled. "Oh... That's.. Unfortunate," Ashlynn said and mentally smacked herself for not thinking of anything better to say. "He said I should just go learn to heal... But I want to fight," she said, suddenly stopping in her tracks.

"So do I, but... Last night Aang told me Air Benders don't fight, generelly, we just defend. Guess you and I are stuck in the same boat," Ashlynn sighed. "Well, I'm learning to fight one way or another. I'll figure something out," she said, and marched off without another word. Ashlynn frowned, and gazed down at the water below her. "Guess I'd better start getting in shape..." she said. She removed her thick outer clothing so it wouldn't drag her down. Then, she took a deep breath and dove head first into the water.

Instantly her skin tightened as goose bumps formed from the intensely icy water. She quickly ignored the cold, and continued to hold her breath as she blindly swam through the waters. She made a mental note to try and have her eyes adjust to being under the water, too. After a minute of not breathing, she floated to the surface for a deep breath. Then, she dove back under.

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Later that night, she, Aang, Katara, and Sokka met up in a heated hut to discuss the events of the day. Katara explained how she went to the healing lesson, and found out the teacher knew her Grandma Kanna, who used to live in the Northern Water Tribe, and left because she was being forced to marry.

"How's warrior training?" Katara asked Sokka as she frustratedly laid down with them. He groaned in response as he threw on his most smug look and began a pouting session. "That bad, huh?" Aang joked. "It's Princess Yue. One minute she wants to go out with me and the next she's telling me to get lost," Sokka frowned. Ashlynn frowned too as the sting of jealousy hit her again for a moment.

"How about Water Bending Training?" Sokka asked, still ignoring Ashlynn entirely. Katara groaned as she laid down beside her brother. "Master Paku won't teach her because she's a girl," Aang explained. Sokka paused for a moment, and then said "Why don't you just teach her Aang?"

"Why didn't I think of that!" Katara said, cheering up suddenly. "Yeah, I can train during the day and I can teach you at night!" Aang grinned. Ashlynn sighed disappointedly as she felt, once again, cast to the side. With Aang training during the day, and teaching Katara at night, there'd be no room for him to teach her more Air Bending moves.

"Sounds perfect! Come on Aang," Katara said, and she and Aang left the small building. Ashlynn felt the heat rush to her head as she realized she was stuck in an awkward spot with Sokka. "So," Ashlynn said bitterly.

"So," Sokka replied shortly.

Ashlynn frowned. "You and the Princess, huh?"

"Yep. I'm pretty much a Prince myself so it all works out," he responded bitterly. "Well I'm so happy things worked out for you two," Ashlynn spat. "So am I! She's the best person I've ever met!" he shouted back. "Good for you," Ashlynn frowned. "And you're the worst thing to ever happen to us. You're a liar, and a spy for the Fire Nation," Sokka glared over at her.

"Know what, I think you're just angry. I think you're angry, and you're trying to make me jealous by being around another girl. Well I don't care, and it won't work," Ashlynn said. Sokka laughed in response, making it clear he thought Ashlynn's accusations were completely preposterous.

"By the way," Ashlynn said as she made way to leave the little hut, "Before you go about accusing me of things that aren't even true, you should at least have facts to back up your opinions. Yours are just angry accusations." With that as the final word, she made way back to her designated room, where she fell into an angered and uncomfortable slumber.

-------------------------------------------------

"Ashlynn wake up!"

Ashlynn groaned to the sound of Aang's shouting. "What is it? It's too early..." she sighed as she stretched. "Katara just challenged Master Paku! Come on," he groaned, and pried at her body so she'd roll back over and fully wake up. "Fine, fine... I'm going I'm going..." she sighed, and got up from bed. She sleepily followed Aang as he guided her back to the palace.

She rubbed her eyes and shivered as the cold air chilled her body. She hadn't even had the chance to throw on her warmer clothes, so she was stuck shivering in her thin sleeping garments. She gasped as she saw Master Paku and Katara locked in a heated clash of water versus water.

"Katara is amazing!" Aang exclaimed as he studied Katara's every move. True, Katara was good, despite how little teaching she'd had, but Master Paku was still better. Ashlynn frowned as she eyed Sokka near Chief Arnook and Princess Yue. Her heart sank as she recalled their heated argument the night before.

Master Paku finally dominated over Katara as he locked her in a cage of icicles. She struggled to be free, but he disallowed it as he stepped closer to her. Then, something caught his eye, and he stopped in his tracks. He picked it up, and Ashlynn saw it was Katara's necklace, which had fallen off during the battle. "This... Is my necklace," Master Paku murmured sadly. "No, it's mine! Give it back!" Katara shouted angrily as she began to melt the icicles around her.

"I made this necklace for the love of my life... For Kanna..." he said, even more sadly. "My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?" Katara asked, almost in a whisper.

"I carved this for her when we got engaged... I thought we'd have a long, happy life together. I loved her..."

Ashlynn's eyes began to fill with tears as she suddenly felt the reality that was hitting Paku, and everyone around them. Paku's eyes began to tear up as well.

"She didn't love you though, did she? It was an arranged marriage. She didn't want your customs to run her life, so she left. It must've taken a lot of courage," Katara said as she slowly walked to Paku's side to comfort him. Ashlynn rolled her eyes in annoyance as Princess Yue began to cry, and ran off. Ashlynn frowned and narrowed her eyes irritably as Sokka chased after her.

"I'm sorry, Katara. You're right. From here on out, women in this tribe will be permitted to learn Water Bending for fighting or for healing... Whichever they prefer. And, I personally, will take you on as my pupil," Master Paku said, and handed Katara her necklace. She grinned up at him, then flung herself at him and embraced him in a warm and thankful hug. He hesitated a moment, and then hugged her back.

The crowd around them cheered, especially the women. Aang and Ashlynn clapped excitedly for Katara's success.

"So, Ashlynn, you been practicing?" Aang asked her. "I did yesterday, I swam till I almost passed out," she responded. "And the wind technique?" he questioned further. "That too; I can already create a larger wind without running so out of breath," she grinned. "That's great! Just keep that up. Come on, while Master Paku and Katara talk things over, I'll teach you some more techniques," he said. Ashlynn grinned, and nodded.

Then, together, the two of them walked off away from the happy scene, more than ready to help one another learn and practice.


	18. Chapter 18

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. _

_  
__A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...___

ATTENTION READERS: This marks the finale of Book 1. I'd like to thank all my readers, whoever they may be. Please feel free to message me anytime; I love comments, questions, supports, and take criticism into appreciation, and as a way to better myself in writing. Enjoy the finale.

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Ashlynn laughed merrily, and applauded as she watched Katara best yet another of Paku's pupils. Aang sat nearby, playing with his air bending. Ashlynn opened her palm out in front of her and created a small ball of air, and directed it to spin around in circles on her palm. She smiled as she recalled the evening before, and shook her head as she accepted the fact that Aang would be incapable of teaching her real air bending without getting distracted at some point. His distractions led to her learning several small air bending tricks used entirely for entertainment.

As she watched the spinning ball of air, she inhaled and allowed it to increase in size, extending to the same size as her palm. "You're getting better at the breathing techniques," Aang said as he allowed his own ball of air to fall flat and disperse. "Thanks, though I don't think a little ball of air will help me fight fire benders," Ashlynn smiled over at Aang. "Well, when you've learned to control the air you can begin practicing balance. When you're balanced, you can ride on that ball of air, like I do! That's helped me evade plenty of enemies," Aang responded, and bended a large ball of air for him to sit on top of. Ashlynn laughed as she watched him roll about the area, ignoring the fact that Katara and Master Paku were growing increasingly annoyed with Aang's lack of motivation to learn water bending.

Ashlynn stopped laughing for a moment when she noticed black flakes floating down from the sky. She stood up and reached a hand outward to catch some that were floating down to her. The flakes crumbled immediately in her hands. She looked over at Katara and Paku, who were watched the black flakes immerse them in a nearby water fountain, turning the clear water into a murky black. Ashlynn frowned as she recognized what it was.

"This is soot... Soot mixed with snow," Katara said as she picked up a handful of snow that had been poisoned with the ominous flakes. "This is what happened when the Southern Water Tribe was attacked."

"That means they're closing in on the North Pole," Ashlynn said, frowning as she realized it was inevitable. "Yeah, and I'd say there's a lot of them, judging by how much soot there is," Katara responded sadly.

"Paku, we need to warn everyone," Ashlynn said firmly. Paku nodded, and turned to a few of his pupils. "One of you go warn Chief Arnook, and another go tell the guards to sound the drums. We must prepare for war," Paku commanded, and immediately two pupils ran off to do so. Several minutes later, the loud, booming sound of drums were heard from nearby. "Come with me," Paku ordered Aang, Ashlynn, and Katara. They nodded, and followed him obediently as they ran towards the palace where the Chief would be.

"Look, there's Sokka," Katara pointed out.

Inside, the Chief stood atop an icy wall before all the people inside. Across the entire floor, people were sitting down to hear what he had to say. Sokka sat along the edge of the crowd, so Katara motioned for them to go sit with him. Paku departed to sit near his Chief and Princess Yue.

"The day we have feared for so long has arrived!" Chief Arnook spoke loudly when the crowd began to settle down slightly. "The fire nation is coming! It is with great sadness that I call each of you, here, before me, knowing that some of these faces are about to vanish from this tribe..." he paused sadly.

"But... they will never vanish from our hearts and minds. Now, as we get closer to the inevitable battle before us, I call upon our greatest spirits! Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us!" he cried out, and thrust his arms up above his head in an almost ritualistic manner. Many people in the crowd did the same, and Ashlynn bowed her head respectfully. Meanwhile, she ignored the sensation of having Sokka's eyes bore right into her.

"Now, I need some volunteers for a dangerous mission," Chief Arnook announced to his people. Sokka stood up, indicating he wished to be a part of the 'dangerous mission. Ashlynn stared up at him sadly, and watched as people all around them stood up as well. She lowered her head solemnly, and whispered a prayer for the young, brave souls.

"Many of you will not return. If you accept this task before you, then come forward to receive my mark of approval," Chief Arnook finished, and a bowl of colored mud was brought to him so he could mark the foreheads of the warriors with it.

Ashlynn let out an involuntary sigh as she watched Sokka step up, receive the mark, give a sad glance to Princess Yue, then walk away. Ashlynn wondered if anything happened between the two of them, but she said nothing about it to Katara or Aang. She looked up suddenly as Aang got up, and began to depart from the building. Ashlynn went to stand up, but Katara stopped her. "Let him think. He has a lot to deal with right now," she warned. Ashlynn nodded as she understood, and turned back to watch the remaining warriors receive their marks of honor.

Afterwards, Chief Arnook dismissed his people, and stepped down from his wall of superiority. Katara and Ashlynn watched worriedly as he paced towards them. He bowed his head respectfully, and Katara and Ashlynn did the same. "Ashlynn, Katara, I'd like you both to remain by the Avatar's side in this battle. However, if you think he should go off alone, let him do so. I trust your judgment," he told them, and then motioned for them to follow him. They did so, obediently, and followed him outside his palace, where he walked up to Aang, who was sitting thoughtfully upon a wall.

"Aang, I've ordered these two to remain by your side, for as long as you wish it," the Chief told him. Aang said nothing at first, but then responded "I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people. I'm going to make a difference this time." Chief Arnook nodded, and bowed his head.

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Later, the armies were placed together upon the defensive outer walls of the Northern Water Tribe. Aang sat upon Appa, with Katara and Ashlynn on the floor beside them. They were right next to Sokka's team, so Sokka stood with them as well. Yet, he said nothing. Together, they stood and stared out at the horizon, waiting for any signs of the incoming fleet.

Finally, something in the far distance could be seen. Ashlynn squinted as she watched it, trying to make out what it was. She gasped as she realized it, and shouted "Incoming! Everyone du---"

Before she could finish, the incoming massive, flaming rock struck the wall she, and many others stood upon. She, and others, let out a cry of surprise and panic as the icy wall crumbled slightly and cracked in numerous places. Ashlynn cried out as she slipped from the effects of the shaking wall. She pulled out one of the swords she'd been provided with, and stuck it into the ice to keep her from slipping forward. Then, she carefully stood back up and tugged her sword out of the floor. However, she did not put it back.

"They've got open fire!" Ashlynn shouted loudly to the armies around her. Everyone cried out loudly again as another flaming boulder flew over their heads and landed in the heart of the city. Ashlynn fell over again as another rock struck the outer wall, and she screamed as she began to slip down towards the open water below. Then, one of the men of the army grasped her arm, and tugged her back up. She nodded thanks, and then jumped slightly as Appa's massive body flew up past her, out towards to Fire Nation fleet.

Beneath the wall, a small group of water benders inconspicuously rode out on small,camouflaged canoes. They rode out to the lead ship, to where Aang was headed.

"It's not safe here; we'll be massacred if we stay on this outer wall. We need to retreat," Ashlynn shouted to Katara and Sokka. As soon as she said this, an order from one of the army captains sounded out, ordering the soldiers to run to a preparation room. Sokka told them that it was for his squad of warriors, made for the dangerous mission. He nodded Katara a farewell, ignored Ashlynn completely, and ran off with his fellow soldiers.

"Come on Ashlynn, let's go back towards the palace," Katara said, and Ashlynn nodded. Together, they ran through the numerous winding paths towards the palace, shouting warnings to the civilians as they did so. When they neared the palace, Katara said "Look, Princess Yue! Come on, we should go protect her. She's all alone."

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes and held back a groan of annoyance, but she did not protest. She reluctantly ran after Katara as she climbed up a final fleet of stairs to the Princess, who was standing looking out at the horizon. "Princess Yue, you should get somewhere safer," Katara suggested as she slowed down to catch her breath. "I don't want to run and hide. It's not right, these are my people. I plan on staying right here," she responded. She let out a short sigh, and Ashlynn could feel her worried and sad vibes radiating off of her. Katara nodded, and stood by her side. Ashlynn reluctantly stood on Princess Yue's other side, and said nothing.

Minutes later, the fire ceased suddenly. Ashlynn looked up at the sky, and saw it was growing dark. "They've stopped firing..." Princess Yue murmured. "It's getting dark. The Water Benders draw their power from the moon, so if they continued the attack they'd lose. Zhao already calculated everything; he knows what he's doing," Ashlynn stated matter-of-factly.

"Aang!" Katara cried out suddenly. Ashlynn looked towards where Katara was pointing, and saw Appa flying towards them. Aang landed his furry companion on the large platform beneath where they were standing, and Katara ran to greet him.

As they neared Aang, he slid off Appa and almost collapsed entirely on the cold floor. "I can't do it!" he cried, and attempted to hold back tears. "What happened, Aang?" Ashlynn questioned worriedly as she and Katara sat down by Aang. "I must've taken out over a dozen ships, and they just keep coming. There's too many of them..."

"You have to fight them! You're the Avatar! We'll die if we don't..." Princess Yue cried out, almost sobbingly. Ashlynn shot her a warning glance, not wanting to upset Aang any further. "I'm only one person..." Aang said, and put his face in his hands. Katara hugged him comfortingly, and allowed him to have a moment to release some stress.

"Come on, we should go get some rest. We'll need it for tomorrow," Ashlynn suggested. "I can't sleep," Aang said. "I didn't say you had to; let's just go rest up inside the palace."

Aang looked up at Ashlynn, and then nodded. "Follow me, I know a good place to stand for a little while," Princess Yue said. Ashlynn glanced over at her, and then back at Aang. He nodded, and motioned for Katara to follow. Together, the three friends followed the Princess up the cold steps of her palace. She then made a turn at the entrance, and led them to a little balcony that had a pleasant view of the ocean and the moon.

By then, the moon was high in the sky, and it complete nighttime. Ashlynn crawled up onto the balcony's edge and leaned against one of the supporting columns. "The moon is so beautiful," Katara spoke after several minutes of silence.

"The legends say the moon was the first water bender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides, and learned how to do it by watching it," Princess Yue stated quietly. Ashlynn looked over at her, and was suddenly jealous of her beauty. _It's no wonder Sokka's attracted to her..._ she thought to herself, and frowned.

"I've always noticed my water bending is stronger at night," Katara replied. "Our strength comes from the spirit of the Moon, and our life comes from the spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance..." Princess Yue continued speaking of her knowledge of the spirit.

"Spirits..." Aang exclaimed suddenly with a grin. "Aang! Maybe you can..." Ashlynn started. "Talk to them, I know," Aang finished her sentence for her.

"Maybe if I talk to them I can get their help!" he stood up straight as he spoke. "How is that possible," Yue said and giggled, almost as if she didn't believe him. "Since I'm the Avatar, I'm like the bridge between this world and the spirit world. I can talk to spirits," Aang explained.

"Well... Last time you got to the spirit world by accident. How can you do it this time?" Katara asked, instantly killing the mood. "I have an idea, follow me!" Princess Yue responded excitedly, and the group perked up with hope again. She rushed off inside the palace, and the three friends followed her immediately.

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"Is this the way to the spirit world?" Aang asked.

Princess Yue had led them to a courtyard in the back of the palace. The moon shone over the pathway perfectly, and revealed a very small wooden, circular door at the end of the pathway. Princess Yue giggled, and said "No. You'll have to get their on your own, but... I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire Northern Water Tribe." Then, she opened the small circular door for them to walk through.

Aang walked through first, and Katara followed. Ashlynn followed Katara, and Yue shut the door behind them. When Ashlynn stepped through the little door, she was suddenly filled with a sweetened sensation. She felt comforted, and serene; like there wasn't a whole lot to worry about... Like someone was watching over her, protecting her with every step she made.

She gazed out in wonder at the scenery before her: on the other side of the little door was a pool of water, with narrow walkways on its side. The walkways led to a small altar that sat on a portion of grass. In the center of the grass was a separate pool of water, where two fish swam together in perfect and synchronized motion. The moon shone directly on the spiritual place, and the icy walls stretched out for yards and yards above them.

Aang ran across one of the pathways and over a little bridge right onto the grass. He laughed and fell over on the green herbs, and said "I never thought I'd miss grass so much!"

"Wow, it's so warm here," Katara said while removing her winter cloak and sitting down next to Aang. "It's the center of all the spiritual energy," Princess Yue explained. "Yeah, I definitely feel it," Ashlynn said while staring down at the two fish in the pond below.

Aang got up, and walked over to the altar. He sat underneath its arch, and went into a meditative stance. "You're right. I feel it too... It's so... tranquil..." he spoke quietly as he soaked up the sensation.

"Come on. If he's going to get into the spirit world, he'll need some peace and quiet. Let's just go stand over there," Ashlynn said, and motioned towards the edge of the grass. Yue and Katara followed her, and together they stood in silence.

After several minutes of no spiritual activity, Princess Yue began to whisper to Katara and Ashlynn. "Nothing's happened. Is there any way we can help?" "I don't think so; he just needs to keep meditating. It takes all his concentration," Katara whispered back. "Guys, hush. Do you think he can concentrate if he hears us talking?" Ashlynn warned them.

"Come on guys, shut up! I'm trying to concentrate and I can hear everything you're saying!" Aang shouted at them. Immediately the three girls shut up, and Aang went back to meditating. Princess Yue gasped when his tattoos began to glow. "What's happening? Is he alright?" she asked, instantly panicking.

"He's in the spirit world now. He'll be fine as long as we don't move his body; that's how he gets back into our world," Katara reassured her. "Maybe we should get some help?" Princess Yue suggested, and began to walk towards the path. "Really, it's fine. I'm capable of protecting him, and Ashlynn is here too," Katara reassured her again.

"Well, aren't you a big and responsible girl, now?" came a familiar voice. Ashlynn's heart stopped for a moment, and she had to force herself not to gasp loudly in anguish and shock.

"No..." Katara whispered, and she and Ashlynn looked over at the nearby bridge to see Zuko, more than ready for a fight. "Yes, hand him over... And I won't hurt you," he demanded, and balled his hands into fists.

"Ashlynn, take the Princess and go find help!" Katara commanded. Ashlynn didn't hesitate, and she turned, grabbed the Princess's wrist, and ran back towards the small wooden door. She allowed Yue to exit first, and then she followed and slammed the door behind her. "Who is that?" the Princess questioned as they began running back out of the palace.

"He's the Fire Nation prince; he's desperate to capture Aang, which is why it's important we find help. Listen, you keep going. I don't fully believe Katara can best Zuko, especially since the sun is beginning to rise. Find some help, and bring them back here as soon as you can!" Ashlynn ordered. Princess Yue gave her an obedient nod, and continued running out of the palace.

Ashlynn spun around, and tried to remember which way was the path back to the spirit spot. She shielded her eyes as the sun began to rise into the sky. She took a deep breath, and began to run as fast as she can back to the hidden spot, using her air bending to make herself run faster. All the while she kept Aang's tips about agility and avoidance in mind.

She air bended the little wooden door open when she reached it, and jumped inside. She made it back just in time to see Zuko making his way up one of the icy walls with Aang bound and thrown over one shoulder. Katara was passed out underneath the altar, and Ashlynn pondered for a moment whether to help her, or to chase after Zuko. She looked up at Zuko, who had already climbed halfway up the block of ice. Ashlynn wondered where he intended to take Aang, since there was nothing but frozen wastelands up above; but, she decided to follow after him. Help would be coming for Katara soon, anyways.

She pulled out her two swords, and began using them as climbing tools. She groaned in frustration as two sides of her mind spoke an argument within her.

_Just air bend your way up to him. It'll be faster, and you can easily best him and get Aang back.__  
_  
_I don't want him to know I'm an air bender. He'll jump to so many conclusions... he won't understand!__  
_  
_You've already shown him you don't care about him. You already know he thinks you hate him. So why do you care if he finds out about your air bending abilities?__  
_  
_I do care. I'm not throwing away years of friendship for nothing.__  
_  
She cast away the voice telling her to air bend and reveal her true self. Instead, she continued to climb up the icy wall, determined to reach her old friend, and his captive.

"Zuko!" she cried out, and continued to do so as she continued her trek upwards, towards the barren, winter wasteland.

_  
_----------------------------------

Ashlynn collapsed onto her backside when she reached the top of the dangerously high mountain. She shivered as the thick snow instantly covered her arms, but she forced herself to ignore the biting cold. She coughed slightly, and raised one arm to block her view of the snowstorm raging around her. When she recuperated, she rolled over onto her side and quickly eyed the fading footsteps Zuko had left behind. She took a deep breath, and stood up and began to follow them.

Every so often she'd catch a glimpse of Zuko in the distance, but mostly all she saw was the constant snowstorm. As she slowly followed her companion's trail, she forced her mind away from the thought of freezing to death. She wrapped her arms around herself, and bent her head towards her chest to keep the snow from getting into her eyes.

After several minutes of walking she noticed she was catching up to Zuko. He was no longer in the far distance, but rather consistently in her line of view, steadily getting closer. She pondered for a moment whether he knew she was following him or not.

"Zuko!" she cried out desperately, and then retreated to another cough. She grew hopeful when he turned around for a moment, but instantly frowned when he turned his back on her. _So, he's ignoring me now. I wonder if our friendship will ever heal..._ she thought to herself.

As she walked forward, Zuko got even closer. Soon, she only paced no more than ten feet behind. Still, he did not acknowledge her, nor could she sum up the energy to run to him.

Suddenly, a crackling in the ice beneath them was heard. Ashlynn stopped in her tracks, and saw Zuko had done the same. The cracking continued, and Zuko began to run. Ashlynn gasped when she realized the ice was breaking, and she began to run forward too. Zuko reached a safe part of land, but Ashlynn couldn't make it.

She let out a cry of helplessness as the ice beneath her crumbled. She ran faster over the failing mountain, and barely made it to the ledge of the safe side of land, where she grasped desperately to its edge.

She looked beneath her into the icy abyss, and felt her fingers slipping upon the frozen grounds. "Zuko, help!" she cried out as panic began to swell up inside of her. She regained some hold of the ground and placed her feet upon the mountainside for better footing. She knew that she couldn't climb up due to how slippery the terrain was, so her only hope would be Zuko.

"Zuko, please!" she cried out again as she re-grasped the mountainside. Suddenly, one of her arms was grasped tightly, and she felt herself begin to rise. She smiled as she recognized Zuko, even beneath the cloth he wore around his face.

She was pulled up over the top, where she lay flat out on her back again as she fought to catch her breath. She watched Zuko walk off to where he'd placed Aang. Ignoring her still, he threw Aang over his shoulders and continued walking. Ashlynn wondered where Zuko planned to take Aang in such a wintry place. She still ignored the growing fear that they'd freeze to death.

Ashlynn stood up again and ran after Zuko. When she caught up to him, he slipped on the icy ground beneath him. Her reflexes caused her to instantly move under him and keep him standing. She put one arm under his, around his back, and the other arm onto his chest to keep him from falling to the floor. She looked up at him, and he looked back for a moment, but then turned away and continued walking. Ashlynn chose not to move her arms from his body.

"Zuko, where do you plan to go? This wintry mountain will kill us both if we don't find some shelter, or a way out," she said after a moment of silence.

Zuko suddenly pointed out ahead of them, and she looked towards his direction. Several yards ahead there was a small cave awaiting them. She nodded in agreement, and together they walked, still carrying Aang, to the small and empty cave.

Inside, they were free of the blizzard that threatened to kill them. Zuko placed Aang down in the back of the cavern, and bound his hands together. "Do you really think that's necessary? He's asleep, Zuko," Ashlynn said as she sat down and leaned against one of the frozen walls.

"He's in the spirit world. He'll be back," he said quietly.

"They're coming back from him you know. You won't stand a chance," she sighed bitterly in response. "I took down the girl before, and I can do it again," he retorted as he sat down while pulling the cloth from his face. Ashlynn saw he bore several cuts that were in the process of healing, and his face was slightly swollen.

"What happened?" she questioned as she crawled over to him to get a better look at the damage he had done to him. "Just another accident," he murmured and turned away from her. "Accidents happen to you a lot, it seems," Ashlynn muttered as she turned away from him, bending her outstretched arm back against her chest.

There was a moment of silence before Zuko spoke.

"I've been searching for him for years," he said, and motioned towards Aang, who was glowing brightly as ever. Ashlynn stared over at Aang, but said nothing."I've finally caught him, but I can't take him back to my father because of this blizzard. There's just... Always something..." he trailed off into deep thought.

"Have you ever thought that maybe capturing him wasn't your destiny," Ashlynn asked, and glanced over at Zuko. He looked back for a moment, then closed his eyes and hung his head. "I know my destiny," was all he said.

"Zuko, you don't understand..." Ashlynn sighed as she leaned her head against the cold wall and shivered. "No, I understand perfectly. It's you, all of you," he said, waving an arm to indicate that Aang was part of the equation as well.

"It's you who don't understand. All of you are just like.... like Azula! Everything came easier to her. I've always had to struggle. Don't you recall, Ashlynn? My father said she was born lucky, and that I was lucky to be born," he spat and glared at the floor before him. Ashlynn flinched as she remembered the Fire Lord verbally putting Zuko down in every way possible.

"I don't want luck though. I'm strong, I don't need it."

Ashlynn looked back at Zuko, and bit her lip and she fought to find what to say. She sighed dejectedly as she failed to muster up any motivation to say words of encouragement. "It's okay; you don't need to say anything. I already know what you think of me," Zuko murmured as he shut his eyes again.

Ashlynn frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I saved your life, and you ran out on me. You said you'd always be there for me, and you left to join forces with the very thing I'd been hunting for. I've been a more loyal friend to you than you ever were to me!" he said angrily, his voice rising with each word.

"I died the day you were burned and banished. You were my best friend, and we were unstoppable. We did everything together, and we were always there for each other. In the end, I was still there for you, but you were gone. All you cared about was the Avatar. You stopped caring about me, about your Uncle, and even about your mother. All you wanted was to please your father. I left because you weren't Zuko anymore," Ashlynn spat in return. Zuko flinched at the mention of his mother.

"No, you're the one who stopped caring. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have bothered saving you from Zhao. I wouldn't have saved you from the crumbling mountain just now. No, you've always ran out on me. You're the one that never cared, and now you're the one that cares about the Avatar. That's the only reason you're here right now, Ashlynn!" he shouted, and Ashlynn watched as his fists lit up as he grew even angrier.

"We wouldn't be having this conversation, if that were the case," Ashlynn responded calmly. Zuko gave no response to her comment.

Aang's chest suddenly rose, and a deep inhale was heard from his body. Both Zuko and Ashlynn jumped at the sudden interruption, but settled down again as they realized Aang was still in the spirit world. "We're going to be here a while, huh?" Ashlynn questioned quietly. Zuko nodded, but said nothing.

Ashlynn wrapped her arms tighter around herself, and held her breath to keep from crying. She quivered, and then exhaled, and allowed a single tear to fall down her cheek. After the single tear, she felt herself calm completely. She curled her legs up to her chest, and laid her forehead on her knees so that her face was hidden.

After a moment, she felt Zuko's warm hand on her arm. She looked up, and confirmed that he'd moved closer to her_. He does still care_... she thought to herself as she looked at him. He gave her a reassuring half smile, and Ashlynn nearly choked on more tears as she took in the moment. She hadn't seen him smile, even half smile, for a very, very long time.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered. He nodded, and looked down at the ground. She knew he was sorry too.

Suddenly, the light radiating from Aang faded. Zuko stood up instantly, and prepared to fight him. Ashlynn remained seated and watched as Aang awoke from his slumber. "Ashlynn?" Aang pondered quizzically, almost as if he wondered why he was tied up yet she was there. Then, he figured it out, and sat up and turned to look at Zuko.

"Welcome back," Zuko murmured. "Good to BE back!" Aang responded flatly. Before Zuko could do anything, Aang blew a gust of wind in his direction, which sent him flying into the frozen wall of one side of the cave. The gust of wind sent Aang flying in the opposite direction, outside the cave and into the thick snow. Ashlynn finally stood up as Zuko chased after him.

Outside, Zuko had regained a hold of Aang, but it wasn't enough. Ashlynn was surprised to see Appa, bearing Katara, Sokka, and Princess Yue, flying down upon them. Zuko snarled, and let Aang fall beside him. "Here for a rematch?" he asked in an almost prideful manner as Katara slid off the flying bison.

"Trust me, it's not going to be much of a match," Katara said confidently, and quickly bended the snow around Zuko, causing him to rise into the air, then fall into the hard floor below him. He instantly passed out from the fall.

Sokka hopped off of Appa too, and went to cut Aang's bonds. Ashlynn cried out quietly and ran to where Zuko lay. She fell to her knees beside him, and pulled his head up onto her lap. She brushed the snow from his face for a moment, and then looked up at her companions, who weren't paying her any attention.

"We need to get to the oasis," Aang said as Sokka freed him of his bonds. Together, Aang, Katara, and Sokka climbed up on top of Appa. "Come on, Ash," Sokka ordered.

"No!" Ashlynn cried back and allowed a few tears to fall from her eyes onto Zuko's face. She curled her arms around his head in a protective manner and gazed up at Sokka. "We can't just leave him here..." she pleaded.

"Yes, we can, now let's go!" Sokka ordered again, beginning to grow angry and impatient. "But he'll die..." Ashlynn whimpered. "Doesn't matter, now come on," he commanded yet again.

"No, we should bring him," Aang said and jumped off Appa. "Sure, that makes sense. Let's save the guy who has been trying to kill us," Sokka retorted sarcastically.

"Thank you," Ashlynn said to Aang as she wiped some tears from her eyes. He nodded at her with a smile, and bound Zuko with the rope they'd taken from him. Together, they carried Zuko on top of Appa, and then Sokka steered Appa back towards the Northern Water Tribe, where the Fire Nation was still attacking.

Sokka and Aang flew Appa together, while Ashlynn sat in the back of the saddle with Zuko's head rested upon her lap. As they flew, the moon suddenly turned red, cause the surrounding area to illuminate with a blood-like color. "What's happening?" Ashlynn whispered, growing more and more fearful of what awaited them.

"I feel faint..."Princess Yue gasped as she put a hand to her head. "I do too..." Aang said.

"The moon spirit is in trouble!" Aang explained.

"I owe the moon spirit my life..." Princess Yue spoke sadly. "When babies are born, they usually cry. But, I was born like I was asleep. Our healers told my parents I was going to die. Then, on the night of the full moon, my father took me to the oasis. He pleaded with the Spirits, and asked them to save me. He placed me in the pond, and instantly my hair turned white and I began to cry. They knew I was going to live. The moon spirit saved me, and that's why they named me Yue... for the moon," she finished her tale like she'd told it a hundred times over.

No one responded, but watched as Appa flew towards the oasis, which was now well in their line of sight. Zhao and his soldiers stood in front of the pond. One of the fish that was in the pond before was missing, and instead was in a bag that Zhao held. Ashlynn then understood that the two fish must've been the mortal forms of the ocean and moon spirits. Thus, Zhao had captured the moon spirit, which took away the water bender's bending.

Aang had Appa land on the other side of the oasis, where he could be facing Zhao. Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Princess Yue all dismounted, but Ashlynn stayed in the saddle with Zuko.

When Zhao noticed the newcomers, he ordered his guards to march forward to better protect himself. They did so, and Aang readied his staff. "Oh, don't bother," Zhao spat as he lifted the bag with the spirit, and threatened to kill it.

"Zhao! Don't..." Aang said, and instantly dropped his weapon. "This is my destiny... To destroy the moon.... AND the water tribe," he muttered in a rasped yet confident voice. "Destroying the moon will hurt everyone, Zhao, not just the water tribe. Everything would fall out of balance without the moon," Aang explained calmly, trying to keep Zhao from killing the spirit.

"He is right, Zhao," came a familiar voice. Ashlynn looked over to the side to see Iroh in a defensive stance, also trying to keep Zhao from killing the moon spirit. Ashlynn continued to run a hand along Zuko's face and through his hair as he continued to sleep.

"General Iroh... I should've expected your treachery," Zhao chuckled. "I'm not a traitor. We need the moon too, because every one of us depends upon the balance. Whatever you do to that spirit I will unleash on you, ten times more! Let it go, now!!" Iroh commanded in rage. Zhao hesitated a moment, and then let the fish back into the pond.

Ashlynn jumped as Zuko began to stir. "Ashlynn..." he muttered as he regained consciousness. "Shh," she soothed as she continued to run a hand down his cheek. He gazed up at her, almost longingly, for a moment, and then blinked to clear his vision.

Ashlynn, too, noticed that the moon had lost its red color, and was back to normal. Yet, both of them gasped, when the moon finally went completely dark, and vanished from existence. Ashlynn glanced towards where she knew the pond was, and immediately understood that Zhao had killed the moon spirit.

The area lit up with flames as Iroh attacked Zhao repeatedly.

"Ashlynn," Zuko said loudly over the battle sounds coming from nearby. She looked down at him, and locked eyes with him every time the fire in the area permitted them to see. "Let me go, please," Zuko pleaded. Ashlynn bit her lip as she pondered for a moment, and then nodded. Zuko sat up, and she quickly undid the bonds. Without a word, he silently jumped off Appa and ran away into the darkness.

Ashlynn ignored the feeling of loneliness she now felt, and jumped off Appa to join the fray. Zhao had retreated, it seemed, and had left his guards to fend for themselves. Iroh had finished them off by the time she reached the other side of the pond, where Aang had taken up mourning the death of the spirit.

"There's no hope now..." Princess Yue said, and turned to cry into Sokka's shoulder. He placed an arm around her for comfort, while the rest of them mourned for the death of the spirit, and began to fear the beginning of the end.

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After several moments, Aang began to glow. Everyone looked upon him, terrified for a moment. When they realized he'd gone into the Avatar state, they settled. "It's not over," came the voices of all of Aang's past lives.

Aang walked into the pond, where the ocean spirit swam around him constantly. Finally, the ocean spirit began to glow as Aang did, and Aang sank into the depths of the water. All-around them, the oceans and rivers and canals began to illuminate, presenting an almost spiritual blue glow. It lit up the area, permitting them to see. Aang had taken control of all of the water in the area, and was going to use it to defeat the Fire Nation that attacked the Northern Water Tribe.

On the opposite end of the oasis a monstrous figure with the head of the fish rose from the water. No... It was_ made_ of the water, and Aang stood at its very core, controlling its every move. Princess Yue fell to her knees instantly, and bowed down to her savior. Each of them did the same in turn, including Ashlynn. The water being patrolled away from the oasis to go finish what the Fire Nation had started there.

Each sat back up as Aang and his watery form walked away. Everyone looked down at the dead fish, and instantly grew sad again. "There must be something we can do..." Ashlynn whispered, even though she knew it was hopeless. "No... It's too late, it's dead..." Katara sighed.

"You have been touched by the moon spirit," Iroh said suddenly, and pointed at Yue. She glanced at him and said nothing. "Some of its life is in you," he explained.

"You're right. The moon spirit gave me life.... Maybe I can give it back," she said calmly, and stood up from Sokka's side. "You don't have to do that!" Sokka cried out as she stood up, and grasped her hand desperately.

"It's my duty Sokka," she responded sadly. Ashlynn felt foolish, knowing she had never been brave like Yue was at that moment. She realized instantly how Princess Yue was better than herself in many different ways, and knew why Sokka had decided to pursue the Princess, instead of a lowly girl from the Fire nation.

"I won't let you! Your father ordered that I protect you..." he said, trying everything to keep her from doing what had to be done. "I have to do this," Yue said, and walked over to Iroh, who was pulling the dead fish from the water.

Iroh presented the fish to the Princess, and she placed her hands upon it. Instantly, the fish lit up with a bright white. Yue stood for a moment, and then exhaled her last bit of breath, and fell to the side. Sokka cried out, and caught her as she fell. She checked her for a moment, and then confirmed she was dead. He held her close to his body, and began to cry.

Ashlynn felt a tear fall from her face, and looked away from the scene. _Princess Yue was brave... I am not.___

"Iroh," Ashlynn spoke suddenly. He looked over at her questioningly. "Don't tell Zuko... But, I'm an air bender," she blurted out, and proved it by creating a ball of air upon her hand. He nodded, almost as if he weren't surprised. "Another story for another time," was all he said. She looked at him quizzically, but nodded, not wishing to press further on the subject.

"I won't tell Zuko. That is something from him to understand when he has learned to understand other parts of his life and the life of others," Iroh replied. Ashlynn nodded her understanding, and thanks.

Suddenly, Princess Yue vanished from Sokka's arms. The fish that Iroh still held in his hands lit up, and he immediately placed it back in the pond. The pond lit up, and Yue's ghost rose from the illuminated pond. She gazed at Sokka, and said something that only he could hear.

Yue's ghostly form floated over to him, and gave him what appeared to be a kiss, regardless of the fact that there was no body for him to kiss, but merely a transparent form. Then, the form disappeared, and both fish began to swim in their eternal dance once again. The moon in the sky lit up once more, and Ashlynn instantly felt better, and like there was hope again.

"Come on, let's go find Aang," Katara said. She, Ashlynn, and Sokka stood up, and left Iroh behind as they ran to go find Aang. Ashlynn knew Iroh's job was to find his missing nephew, and that their job was to find their companion. They hopped upon Appa, and flew off to find the watery beast.

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It was daybreak, and Ashlynn had finished packing the supplies she needed. She'd been given new travelling clothes, a new cloak for the cold times, and a new swim outfit, for when it was time to swim. She'd been given a new bedroll as well, along with a few moccasins to last.

Aang had fought off the fire benders the night before until the moon was revived. When it lived again, the Fire Nation retreated from the North Pole, knowing they'd lost that battle. Many brave water benders had died, but not in vain. The city was in ruins, but it would become a magnificent city once again, given some deserved time.

Master Paku had decided to go to the South Pole to revive their sister tribe, and appointed Katara as Aang's new water bending master.

Ashlynn tightened the sack that held her items, and then flung it over one shoulder. She then departed from her room, and walked to the front of the palace. There, Appa, Katara, Aang, and Sokka each waited for her. She ran over to them. Together they turned to face the horizon, where another adventure awaited them.


	19. Book 2 Chapter 1

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. _

_  
__A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ashlynn... An ex-member of the Fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

Ashlynn groaned as sunlight peaked in through the ceiling of her sleeping room. She rolled over onto one side, trying to ignore the annoying disturbance. When movement on deck became apparent, she knew she could sleep in no longer. She groaned, and sat up in her hammock, and then proceeded to stretch. Then, she slipped on her moccasins and walked up the wooden steps to the outside.

A few days prior, Aang had agreed to sail with Master Paku south for a little while. That way, he could get some more water bending practice with him in before moving onward to find an earth bending teacher. After a few days, the team would depart on Appa and head to an earth kingdom base, where a general would give the group an escort to Omashu. Aang hoped to learn from King Bumi, as he was one of the only reliable sources he knew of.

When Ashlynn walked up on deck, she realized it was the day for their departure. Her companions were busy packing their supplies up on Appa, and Master Paku was waiting, with some of his water-bending students, to bid them farewell.

"Hey Ashlynn- We're almost finished packing. Why don't you go pack your things and toss them into Appa's saddle?" Katara said as she tossed another sleeping roll on Appa's saddle. Ashlynn sighed, turned around, and walked back to her sleeping room.

Once there, she quickly threw her clothes and spare necessities into her pack, slung it over one shoulder, and once again departed from the room.

"Ah, Ashlynn- Come here, I have a gift for you," Master Paku said once he eyed her. She eyed him warily, and then looked over at Katara. She held up a little vial, indication he'd distributed gifts to the group. Ashlynn nodded, and then approached the elderly master.

"This was, in part, a request of Aang's to have made for you," Master Paku explained, and then motioned for one of his pupils to bring forth Ashlynn's gift. The youngest male of the lot protruded a staff, and Ashlynn instantly knew Aang had requested to have a glider made for her.

She carefully lifted the staff and examined it, and then bowed before Master Paku. "Thank you, this means a lot to me. Now I can further my training in bending," Ashlynn said as she rose to eye Master Paku. "May it help you on your journey ahead," he said, and together they bowed before one another.

Ashlynn then opened the wings of the staff and examined them carefully. "Try it out, Ash," Aang called out from on top of Appa. She grinned, and then positioned herself as Aang did when he was about to take off for flight.

Ashlynn felt the air currents around her, and she focused her breathing to her advantage. She inhaled deeply, and jumped forward, and used the air she exhaled to keep herself afloat. Clearly, she was not as mastered as Aang was, but she was able to guide the air to carry her on top of Appa, where her companions waited for her.

"Thank you, Aang," she grinned, and hugged him tightly. "No problem! Now you can practice even more!" he grinned back. She nodded, and closed the wings of the staff. She then set that, and her pack down with the rest of the belongings.

Then, the group looked to Master Paku and his pupils. They each bowed in turn, and the team nodded their heads respectfully in return. "Say hi to Gran-Gran for us," Katara said. Paku nodded, and then Aang ordered Appa to ascend so they could finally make their way towards the Earth Kingdom.

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"Come on Sokka, share some, please?" Ashlynn pleaded as she tried to pry a bag of flavored nuts from Sokka's hand. "Nuh-uh! I was given these, and so they are all mine. You don't get a single one," he said teasingly, and popped one into his mouth. Ashlynn frowned as he crunched down on it, and forcefully tugged the bag away from her.

"But we've been flying for over a day and I've had nothing but unflavored foods. I just want one, please?" she pleaded again with a pouting face.

Ashlynn couldn't help but smile as she begged him for his meal. Sokka, after several days following Yue's death, finally decided upon not acting hostile towards Ashlynn anymore. Since then, the two had become better friends, like they had before. He grew accustomed to her bending abilities, and even left the idea that she lied behind.

Sokka shook his head again, and finished off the bag of nuts with a satisfying and triumphant smirk to follow. "You're so mean," Ashlynn murmured, and narrowed her eyes jokingly. He grinned back at her, and held his hand open to show her he'd saved a few nuts.

Ashlynn grinned and reached to snag them from him. "No! First, what do you say?"

Ashlynn sighed, and said "Even though you're the only one who can't bend you're still the better warrior." Sokka grinned mischievously, and then handed her the nuts. She happily ate them, glad to have had food that wasn't so bland.

"We should be nearly there," Aang said as he peered over the side of Appa's saddle to get a good view of the mountain range. Ashlynn licked her fingers free of the crumbs, and then viewed the area as well. "There it is!" Sokka suddenly blurted, and pointed ahead of them. On the side of one mountain, hidden amidst several others, was the Earth Kingdom Base that Master Paku had instructed them to go to. Aang guided Appa to the area, and had him safely land on the open space set before them.

The General, Fong, was already there, more than eager to meet them. "Welcome, Avatar Aang. I am General Fong," he introduced himself, and gave a courteous bow. The earth benders behind him did the same. "And welcome, Aang's friends and companions... Appa, Momo, Brave Sokka, Mighty Katara, and Valiant Ashlynn," he said, greeting them each in turn.

To further the welcome, fireworks shot off from the building behind them. Ashlynn clasped her hands together as she surveyed them, having missed something so simple that was within the fire nation quite often. Fireworks had always been one of her favorite forms of entertainment.

"Come, come into my keep. We have much to discuss," General Fong said after a moment, and motioned for the team to follow him. The team gave one another curious glances, wondering what the General hoped to discuss with them, but respectfully followed him, regardless.

The General guided them to a large hallway, in which one earthly table stood firmly at the end of the hall. The General sat at the lone table, and requested the group patiently sit on the stone floor before it. They did so, despite the fact that they would've preferred chairs.

General Fong began the conversation as soon as each had sat down on the cold floor.

"Avatar Aang... Each of us here was amazed at the stories of how you single handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such power as that," he said and leaned forward while stroking his thick, brown beard.

"Well, I try not to think about it too much," Aang responded optimistically, trying to maintain a cheerful atmosphere. General Fong smiled at him briefly before continuing.

"Aang, you are ready to face the fire lord now," General Fong stated simply. Aang continued to smile at him for another moment, before blurting out his surprise as the General's words sank in.

"You got to be joking! No I'm not!" he cried out with shock. "Yeah, Aang still need to master all the elements," Katara defended.

"No he doesn't!" the General laughed heartily, and stood up. "What do you mean?" Ashlynn pondered aloud. "Why, isn't it obvious? He has the power to take down hundreds of fire nation ships without gaining a scratch! He can defeat the Fire Lord now!" he declared confidently.

"Sir, Aang can only do those things when he is in the Avatar State," Sokka explained quickly. "I know all about the Avatar State," General Fong said sharply before anyone could follow what Sokka had said.

The General stood up, and walked over to a map hanging upon the wall. "Without you, Aang, we'd be slaughtered in minutes. But... If you led the way, we could cut through right to the heart of the Fire Nation, straight to the palace!" he said, guiding a finger across the path he'd already drawn upon the suspended map.

"But... I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State, much less to do once I'm there..." Aang muttered sadly, hopelessly confused. "It's settled then. I'll help you learn how to get into the Avatar State, and then you'll help us take down the Fire Lord," he commanded simply as he turned to face the group once more. At this point, Sokka, Ashlynn, and Katara had grown fed up, and he stood up to further defend his companion.

"Nothing is decided," Sokka fumed angrily. "Yeah, we already have a plan," Ashlynn followed defiantly. "Aang is going to pursue his destiny his way," Katara said, and folded her arms.

"While you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" he said solemnly. The group didn't protest, so he paced over to the nearest window. The group followed him hesitantly, and looked down below to where there was a smaller building surrounded with a few groups of people.

"That there is the infirmary. Those soldiers are the lucky ones... They're the ones that made it out alive. Every day the fire nation takes lives. You could end this madness now!" he spat angrily as he clenched one fist. Aang looked away from him and said nothing in response. General Fong waited another moment, and then said "Think about it," before walking off.

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The General's servants escorted the group to a room that had been prepared for them later that evening. They didn't have separate rooms within the base, so the group had to share one larger room that had a number of beds, fit to hold a small fleet of Earth Nation soldiers.

The team slept in a square around the room, Katara and Sokka across one another, and Aang and Ashlynn across each other. They unpacked what was needed, and continued to relax the remainder of the day.

"Maybe I should do what the General says..." Aang said once they'd each become comfortable in their own beds. "No Aang, you need to learn the elements. That's how it's always been," Katara explained.

"But, people keep dying... The General said so himself. It's my fault, because I'm not taking action quick enough," he sighed sadly. "That's the General trying to guilt trip you. People will always been dying, even when there isn't a war. It's not something that can be easily stopped. Aang, if you jump into this too quickly then you'll the one that ends up dead," Katara said worriedly.

"Maybe you're right... Okay, I'll go talk to him..." he said, and then got up from his bed. Without another word, he left the room.

"Well- Good for him; I'm going to try and get some shut eye," Katara said, and then rolled onto her side to face the wall.

Ashlynn eyed Sokka contemplatively, and he responded with a similar glance in her direction. She slipped off her moccasins, and then gave Sokka a short wave, indication she was following Katara's example.

Ashlynn laid out on her back and stared up at the darkening ceiling. She put her arms behind her head, and proceeded to think about what might've happened to Zuko. She knew, at least, that Iroh had gone after him. Ashlynn took comfort in knowing that Zuko wasn't entirely alone.

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"Ash," came a small whisper. Ashlynn opened her eyes, and was instantly greeted by utter darkness. She figured she had slept several hours well into the night. She blinked again, instinctively trying to adjust to the dark scene.

"Ash," came the whisper again, and she was able to identify the speaker as Sokka. "What?" she whispered back, and rolled on her side to face the dark room. It was then that she sensed Sokka was standing over her. "Come on," he whispered again, and Ashlynn heard him tip-toe out of the room. She quietly groaned, slipped her moccasins on, and followed him outside the room.

"What is it?" she asked as she followed him to a balcony outside their sleeping hut. She ran a hand through her hair in hopes of ridding herself of the bed-hair look. "I don't know- I just can't sleep. You missed the argument a few hours ago, so I figured I'd wake you up and tell you," he responded, and sat up on the balcony's edge.

"What argument?" Ashlynn asked while yawning. She rubbed her eyes afterwards, and looked up at Sokka, who was staring up at the moon that hovered above them.

"I guess Aang told the General he'd help them, despite what he told Katara. I backed him up, and Katara got angry," he shrugged, and looked down at her from the ledge he sat upon. Ashlynn folded her arms and leaned against the nearest column.

"Why'd you back him up? You know he won't win if he goes Avatar State. Fire lord Oazi is a powerful man, and he's backed up by many who are almost as powerful as him, including his own daughter Azula. Aang would get ripped to pieces. He needs to do it the right way," Ashlynn frowned, and yawned again.

"I don't know... The General made it seem so easy. Aang would have the entirety of the Earth Kingdom on his side, as well," he responded, and looked up at the moon again.

Ashlynn looked up at him for a moment. "You didn't bring me out here to talk about the argument, did you?" she asked warily. Sokka looked down at her for a moment, and then looked at the floor below his hovering feet. He turned his body around so that his feet hung over the other side, and said no more.

Ashlynn gazed up at the moon, and then sighed. Giving in to her natural need to comfort people, she pulled herself up on the ledge next to Sokka, and hung her feet the same way. "You might think she's gone, but she's not," Ashlynn reassured him, and grasped the hand he had next to her in means of comforting him.

"I haven't had a full night of sleep since... Since we were at the North Pole. It was getting unbearable... I just needed someone to be with," he responded sadly. "Sure, of course," Ashlynn responded.

Neither let go of the others hand. Together, they gazed up at the moon in silence as they awaited the coming sun.

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The next day, General Fong began testing his different theories of how to get Aang into the Avatar state. The theories included: Giving Aang a drink that only resulted in him being more hyper than usual, attempting to scare him into the Avatar State, and having him wear ceremonial clothing from each nation while having a mixture of the elements tossed upon him... None of which were successful. At the end of the day, the General decided upon picking up where they left off the following day.

At sunset, Katara pulled Aang aside to discuss her feelings on the matter with them. Ashlynn, in an attempt to keep him out of Aang and Katara's matters, approached Sokka with a suggestion of an activity for them to do.

"I don't know Ash, there's not a whole lot to do around here," he sighed heavily from severe boredom. "The shoreline isn't far from here... We could swim, or fish," she suggested. "Maybe you should practice your bending?" he suggested unexcitingly. "I do every day! I'm nearly an advanced glider, Aang said so himself. I don't need to practice anymore. Besides, you could use some fun too. You haven't had some in a while," she grinned, and playfully poked his side in an attempt to tickle him. He grinned back, and said "Alright, I guess I could go for an evening swim."

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After only a few hours of playful swimming, Sokka and Ashlynn agreed to silently walk back towards the base without disturbing anyone.

Ashlynn laughed frivolously as she tried to follow Sokka's footsteps exactly as he had them. She stretched one leg forward, and firmly planted her foot in the spot where his foot had just marked the sand. Sokka grinned slyly, and circled around behind her.

"Don't you dare!" she demanded while laughing, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. She lifted one foot and tried to place it in the next footprint, but as she did this Sokka shoved her slightly, making her lose her balance. She let out a small squeal as she fell over.

"Aw man, now it's going to look like two of us were down here," she pouted playfully. "So what?" he grinned, and held a hand out to help her back up. She grasped it, and he tugged her up. "Someone's going to think something's up," she giggled, and began to trot back towards the base. Sokka shook his head and laughed to himself, and then followed her.

* * *

"Sokka?"

"What?"

"I don't think bringing on the Avatar State is a good idea."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay... Do you think the General will be angry?"

Ashlynn groaned as the voices of Aang and Sokka stirred her in her sleep. When she groaned, the whispering voices ceased. After a moment, Sokka spoke again.

"You're the Avatar. Who knows better than you?"

Aang said nothing, and then the two rolled over to go back to sleep. Ashlynn smiled slightly to herself, glad of Aang's decision, and then rolled over and quickly fell back into a deep slumber.

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The next day, Ashlynn and Sokka went with Aang to confront the General about Aang's final decision. Katara, still angry with Aang for having agreed to the General's crazy ideas in the first place, remained behind.

Ashlynn and Sokka stood together near the General's guards while Aang gave his views on the matter. He ended his short speech by saying "I can't reach the Avatar state unless I'm in genuine danger."

That, however, proved to be the wrong thing to say to the crazed and determined General. "I was afraid it would come to this," was all he said before thrusting his entire stone table in Aang's direction. "Aang!!" Ashlynn and Sokka cried out in unison when the bulky desk struck Aang head-on. Before they could do anything, however, the General's men seized their arms and prevented them from taking any action.

Ashlynn gasped as Aang flew right out the window on the opposite side of the room. The General followed, and watched him fall to the ground. Ashlynn struggled to be free of the men binding her, but it was hardly any use. The fact that she could not see what was happening to Aang made it much worse for her, as well as Sokka.

"Men, attack the Avatar!" the General commanded. Ashlynn relaxed for a moment, knowing Aang had at least survived the fall. Yet, that didn't mean he'd be safe from the General's earth benders, as well as the General himself, who lept out of the window, vanishing from Ashlynn's sight.

Sokka, too, was struggling as best he could to be free of the guards. When the guards swung Sokka away from Ashlynn, exposing their backs to her, she threw herself backwards into the men holding her, and used the air currents around her to lift her legs up from the ground. Then, furthering her air bending, she bent her legs and thrust herself forward, nailing the men binding Sokka in their back's with her feet. They stumbled, and dropped Sokka, who immediately rolled away from them.

Then, Sokka ran around the men holding Ashlynn, and tripped one, causing him to fall over and drop Ashlynn in the process. She followed by using the very first air bending technique she ever saw Aang use, and sucked in a gust of air, and exhaled it. The air shooting out from her mouth forced her guard to fly backwards into a wall, allowing her a second to escape. She quickly hovered up and away from him, and together she and Sokka ran to aid their troubled companion.

Outside, Katara was already on the move to help Aang. The rumbling of the earth caused by the earth benders had obviously worried her and forced her out of her room to check on Aang.

"The General's gone crazy; he's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state!" Sokka explained to Katara as he and Ashlynn met up with his sister at the foot of the arena where Aang was being attacked. Sokka immediately pulled out his boomerang and tossed it towards one of the guard's who was pursuing Aang. It successfully knocked him out, but it wasn't enough to prevent the remaining guard's from attacking the Avatar.

"Come on Sokka; let's go commandeer one of their steeds!" Ashlynn suggested hurriedly, and used her air bending to rush over to a guard who was mounted upon a bird-and-horse-like animal. Sokka followed her quickly, and waited for a signal to attack. Ashlynn nodded, and as soon as she sent a gust of air flying upward at the man's spear, thus knocking it from his arms, Sokka kicked him off his steed. Sokka then proceeded to swing himself on top of the creature, and then extended an arm to pull Ashlynn up behind him. She grasped his arm, and flew up on top of the animal. She wrapped her arms around Sokka's waist as he claimed hold of the reins, and began to guide the beast around the arena. Together, he and Ashlynn began to take out the attackers.

"I can't move!"Katara cried out suddenly. Ashlynn peered behind her, and saw that the General had begun to force Katara to sink into the stone floor beneath her. "Sokka, Katara is in danger!" Ashlynn cried out. Immediately, Sokka turned the steed around and forced it to run in the direction of the General.

Before much more could be accomplished, however, the General bended the earth beneath the creature, forcing it to trip. Sokka and Ashlynn flew over right over its head as a result. Ashlynn cried out in surprise as she struck the ground and rolled over herself a few times before finally slamming into a wall.

"Stop- You don't have to do this!" Ashlynn could hear Aang pleading with the General. Ashlynn groaned as she tried to regain focus of the area.

"You could save her if you were in the Avatar state!" the General responded angrily to Aang's pleas. Ashlynn rolled over onto her back and made an attempt to sit up as he said this.

"I'm trying!" Aang cried back at the General. Ashlynn tried looking in the direction of the Avatar and the General. All the while, Katara kept crying out in shock, asking for help and rescue. Ashlynn tried to make out Katara in the blur before her, but she couldn't place her exactly.

"Please, you don't need to do this!" Aang cried once more. "Apparently... I do," the General said finally, and Ashlynn heard him force Katara entirely beneath the ground.

Following the event, a massive gust of wind blew throughout the arena. Ashlynn cried out in surprise, as she had not expected it. She covered her face with one arm, and began to finally regain full consciousness. She was well aware that now Aang had gone into the Avatar State. All the while, she could hear the General's shouts of glory and triumph.

"Ash!" came Sokka's shout over the gusting winds and the screams of the General. "Sokka!" she yelled in response, and tried to peer through her fingers to see him within the oncoming tornado. "Are you alright? We need to get out of here," he shouted back, and she felt him grasp her shoulder. "I'm just a bit dizzy, help me up!" she coughed, and slouched her free arm over Sokka's neck. She wrapped an arm around her waist, and helped hoist her up. Yet, it was to no avail.

As soon as she was lifted up, Aang, who had risen far into the air to create better winds, slammed his entire body into the ground beneath him, forcing the grounds to rise up and strike every person in the area from beneath, save Katara.

Sokka and Ashlynn cried out in unison as the ground beneath them struck them and threw them backwards into the wall again. Ashlynn cried out as her head struck the wall once more, obscuring her vision.

"Ash!" she heard Sokka cry out, and she felt him wrap his arms around her protectively.

Suddenly, the winds died down. Ashlynn knew that meant Aang had gone out of the Avatar state, but everything was too blurry for her to take in with sight. She felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness, and Sokka's voice began to sound further and further away. She became aware of him picking her up and carrying her away from the wall, but she could not tell where he was taking her to.

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Ashlynn judged she had been unconscious for no more than twenty minutes, given the time of day and the fact that her companions had not yet left the base. She groaned, and felt a bruise on the back of her head. She looked around her, and saw her companions packing Appa, Katara included. She was glad to see she was safe, and was glad to see Aang was once again calm.

"Ash, you're awake! You weren't out for very long," Sokka exclaimed as he trotted over to her. "Good to know," she groaned, and used her air bending to float herself up onto her feet. "You okay?" he asked worriedly. "Just fine," she smiled reassuringly, and then began to question as to what was happening.

Sokka then proceeded to explain that they denied the escort to Omashu, preferring that they leave before the General woke up, being that Sokka had taken the liberty of knocking the man out cold.

"Sounds good... As long as we're away from that man, I can't complain," she grinned. "Excellent," he said, and then climbed up on top of Appa, where Katara and Aang were chatting quietly.

Ashlynn looked up at them, and recognized all of their belongings, including her staff, already neatly placed within Appa's saddle. She grinned, once again thankful for her companions. Then, she guided the air around her to lift her body up into the saddle.

"All set?" Aang asked her with a smile. "You bet," she said, and gave him a reassuring and kind grin.

"Yip yip!" Aang said finally, and with that, Appa leapt off that platform, and flew off in the direction of Omashu.


	20. Book 2 Chapter 2

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished.___

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, and air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: An ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

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"We can't afford to relax all day if we want to get to Omashu today. Hurry up with your bending guys," Sokka said as he lounged about on an oversized leaf that floated amidst the still waters. Nearby, Aang and Katara were practicing their water bending together, while Ashlynn lay out in the shallow portion of the hidden lake they'd come across.

"You're enjoying the break too, and you know it, Sokka," Ashlynn giggled as she peered over at him through one open eye. He frowned at her, shook his head, and said nothing.

As Katara taught Aang a new technique, an instrument suddenly sounded quietly from an area nearby the lake. Sokka sat up from his floating 'chair' to see what was to be seen. Ashlynn sat up as well, and Katara and Aang halted their bending for the moment.

A small group of travelers approached them on the trail leading up to the lake. Each had their own instrument that they merrily played as they walked along. When they noticed Aang and his companions, they halted.

"Hey look, river people!" the man at the head of the party stated almost enthusiastically. Katara stared at him quizzically for a moment before correcting him, making it known they were just ordinary people making their way through the world.

"Who are _you_?" Sokka demanded, his emotions filling with disbelief. "I'm Chong. This is my wife Lily," the man pointed to a woman who stood beside him. "We're nomads," he said happily.

"You're nomads? I'm a nomad too!" Aang said with a growing smile.

Ashlynn stood up from her resting spot to join the conversation. "Why don't you guys join us for a little while?" Ashlynn suggested in an attempt to be polite. Sokka spun around to give her a glare, making it obvious that the last thing he wanted was to be stuck with the band of traveling nomads. She shrugged back at him.

"Sounds fun," Chong replied. Sokka twitched momentarily, and stomped back towards his oversized leaf.

"Oh my- What sort of beast is that?" the woman, Lily, questioned as soon as she saw Appa. "Oh, that's Appa. He's my flying bison!" Aang responded cheerfully. "He'd look beautiful with some braids," Lily spoke absent-mindedly, and then trotted over to Appa. She sat down next to him, and instantly began fumbling with his fur. Appa responded with a small, loving snort.

"Hey kids, want to hear some tales?" Chong asked as he sat down next to Appa. "Sure!" Aang said, and sat down next to him. Ashlynn, Katara, and the remainder of the nomads joined them. Sokka lounged by himself out in the center of the lake.

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"Hey Sokka, you should hear some of the stories these guys have been telling. They've been everywhere," Aang grinned, and looked over his shoulder at Sokka. Sokka responded with thumbs up, but didn't even bother to look their way.

"Well. We haven't been everywhere... But everywhere we haven't been we've heard about through stories and songs," Chong said, and struck a single cord on his sitar for emphasis.

"He said he'd take us to see a giant night crawler!" Aang said to Sokka excitedly. Then, Sokka finally looked over at the group, clearly having had spent his last nerve.

"Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news and all, but we don't have time to go sight-seeing. We need to get to Omashu... As soon as possible!" he argued bitterly.

"Yeah, Sokka's right. We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn Earth Bending somewhere safe," Katara said, reluctantly backing her brother up. Chong perked up at this, and said "Well sounds like you're headed to Omashu!"

Ashlynn raised one eyebrow in confusion, and glanced over at Sokka just in time to see him strike his forehead with his palm in utter frustration. Chong lifted his instrument once again, and proceeded to continue with his conversation.

"There's an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains," he told the group while striking another single cord. "Is it a real pass, or is it just a story?" Katara asked doubtfully.

"It's real alright... It's as old as Earth Bending himself," Chong said, and then burst into a song about two lovers and their secret tunnel that ran through the mountain. Ashlynn couldn't help but laugh at Sokka's growing irritation with the odd band of nomads.

"We should just stick with flying," Sokka said after Chong finished his song. "I don't know Sokka... There's fire nation everywhere. It'd be safer to go underground," Ashlynn protested. She wasn't too thrilled to travel with the nomads all that way, but she didn't want to risk her life being in the air, either.

"But Appa hates going underground," Aang argued. "He'd be more uncomfortable having fire shot at him, I'd think," Katara fought. Aang pondered this for a moment, and then sighed. "Fine, let's go through the tunnel," he said reluctantly. Sokka looked as though he'd rip his own hair out.

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Despite Sokka's protests, the nomads proceeded to guide the group towards the 'Cave of Two Lovers'. As they did this, Sokka questioned more and more about this mysterious tunnel. Chong responded by telling him that it was a maze of tunnels, that beheld a curse. If the group did not trust in love, they'd be lost in the caverns forever.

As Sokka heard this, he grew more and more anxious, and more and more irritated. When they approached the entrance, Sokka finally put his foot down. "There's no way we're going through a maze of cursed tunnels. Come on Aang, let's go."

One of the other nomads, Moku, pointed out a pillar of smoke in this distance. Katara looked out at it, and recognized it as a Fire Nation signal. "Sokka, we have to. The Fire Nation is tracking us, we can't go back now," she said.

"All we have to do is trust in love, right?" Aang asked Chong. Chong nodded in response. "Alright... we can do this," he grinned.

Then, Aang and his companions, and Chong and his group of nomads entered the beginning tunnel. The entrance to the tunnel provided them with enough sunlight to make it through the first number of steps- At least, until a massive rumbling in the Earth emitted from the entrance.

Ashlynn and Katara gasped in surprise as the caverns shook, and suddenly the entrance caved in from behind them, cutting off all sunlight to them. "Clearly, the Fire Nation discovered us. They're making an attempt to let nature's course kill us off," Ashlynn said to her companions, whom she couldn't see anymore.

Suddenly, a single torch lit up amidst them. Chong, who was more prepared then the rest, had brought a few torches with him, and had lit one to aid them in their journey through the tunnels. "Excellent, at least we have some form of light. I'm going to make a map so we can track where we've been. That way we can solve it like the maze that it is, and get out of here safely," Sokka said as he pulled some parchment from a bag that rested atop of Appa.

Then, he began to lead the group through the main tunnel they stood in now, while making a marking of their direction.

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"Sokka... This must be the tenth dead end you've led us to," Katara sighed as they approached yet another wall at the end of another tunnel. "No, this can't be right. We've already come through this way," Sokka complained, and stared down at his self-made map.

"We don't need a map... just love..." Chong said, almost sadly.

"Maybe, but a map is more helpful to us... There's only one explanation. The tunnels are changing," Sokka declared after examining the walls around him. Just as he spoke what he determined to be the cause, another rumbling in the earth was heard, indicating that the tunnels they were traveling through were indeed subject to hastened change.

"It must be the curse... We shouldn't have come down here," Chong said, officially starting to lose his nerve. "Everyone, be quiet. Listen," Ashlynn said, detecting a faint sound within the heart of the tunnel that lay before them. Everyone listened for a moment, and confirmed they heard what sounded like a beast-like shriek emitting from the depths of the mountain. Everyone stared into the darkness in front of them, and waited for a moment.

Katara and Ashlynn shrieked in unison as an oversized bat flew in from the dark tunnel before them. It flew right over Sokka's head, who was holding one of the few torches they had. It charged right at Aang, who quickly dodged it. Ashlynn was quick to send a gust of air in its direction. The wind struck the creature in the gut, and it landed upon the floor. Moku recognized the creature as a wolf-bat.

When the wolf-bat had recovered from Ashlynn's attempt to knock it out, it flew up above them again, and dove down at Sokka, who was still holding the torch. Sokka waved his torch back and forth at the beast, but eventually lost his gripping on it. It slipped from his hand, and soared over to Appa, striking him in one of his paws.

Appa, distraught from having been burnt, began to trample about the narrow caves. The wolf-bat then retreated back into the darkness, not wanting to fight something that was Appa's size. Appa blindly charged after it, and ran into some of the walls surrounding them as he did so. Running into the walls upset the oversized beast even more, and he took up running into the walls out of pure rage.

The walls about them began to shake. "Appa, stop it!" Ashlynn cried out over the beasts roars of anger. Ashlynn looked up at the ceiling and saw that the cave was beginning to crumble. She looked at Aang, who nodded at her, agreeing with her mental suggestion of what the two should do. At the same time, they each produced an air-shield about the group. Ashlynn's shield covered everyone, save Aang and Katara, while Aang's shield covered him, Appa and Katara.

The rocks crumbled between the two groups, cutting Aang, Appa, and Katara off from the rest, but assuring their safety. When the rocks finished crumbling, Ashlynn dropped the shield and ran to the wall that now separated three of her companions from her.

She and Sokka, together, began digging at the rock walls before them. "It's no use, the wall is too thick. We've been separated from them," Chong told them, hoping to make them stop their determined digging. Ashlynn sighed, and ceased to dig. "If only we had an earth bender..." she murmured sadly. Sokka stopped digging as well.

"Come on, we can't give up now. If we continue on our way, we'll come across them eventually. Let's go," Ashlynn said, attempting to muster up enough courage to get Sokka to move along with the nomads. She glared at her, stood up, and reluctantly nodded. Together, the two followed the companions down into the tunnel ahead of them.

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"This is just another dead end," the nomad Moku said as Sokka halted in front of another wall of the caverns. "I'm just trying to get us out of here. I'm the only one that's coming up with ideas, and I'm the only one that's trying," Sokka fumed as he spun around to rage at Moku. Ashlynn put a comforting hand on Sokka's shoulder in an attempt to keep him calm.

"We're thinking of ideas? Cause I've had one for the past hour," Chong said blandly. "Yes! We're all thinking of ideas!" Sokka screamed at him. "Sokka..." Ashlynn murmured, and shook her head with disapproval at his lack of control.

"Well, if love is the key out of here... We can just play a love song!" Chong said, and almost immediately burst into a song about love. His band of nomads did the same.

Sokka let out one more scream of rage, and then went to sit in the corner furthest from the group. He laid his torch down next to him, and brought him legs up to his chest. He rested his arms upon his knees, and his head upon his arms, and then remained entirely silent.

Ashlynn stared over at him for a moment, then released a frustrated sigh and went to join him. "You okay?" she asked as she sat down next to him. He grunted in response. "Look... Things aren't totally hopeless," Ashlynn told him, hoping to make him feel better.

"Yes, they are. We're separated from Aang and Katara; we're stuck with this band of crazies who don't know anything... We could die in here, Ash. I'm out of ideas. There's something in these tunnels that's keeping us from getting out," he finished sadly.

"Let's say for one moment that the only way to get out of here is through love," Ashlynn started. "These guys have been singing about love for a while now, and nothing's happened," Sokka reminded her. "I'm aware of it. Maybe nothing has happened because _**you**_ don't believe that that's the way out of here. Think, just for a moment, just believe that love is the way," Ashlynn said, and put a hand upon his arm.

"How am I supposed to express belief in love?" Sokka asked, and lifted his head up from its resting position and turned to look at Ashlynn. "How do lovers express love?" Ashlynn pondered aloud, waiting for her idea to click in Sokka's mind. She turned to look away from him, blushing madly.

"You mean...?" Sokka stammered, finally understanding what Ashlynn was thinking. Ashlynn looked back at him, and nodded hesitantly. Sokka merely stared back at her as though she'd lost her mind entirely. "Okay, I get it... It was a dumb idea but it's the last one I got. I---" Ashlynn began, before Sokka interrupted her.

Ashlynn was a little startled as Sokka leaned over to her and placed one soft kiss upon her lips. She hardly reacted before another rumbling in the tunnels began, forcing him to break their momentary contact. "Sounds like your idea made something in the tunnels even angrier," Sokka said, and stood up. Ashlynn looked up at him, still blushing, and waited for him to do something. Without looking back down at her, he walked back over to the nomads.

Ashlynn followed him, but halted at the walls around them burst as enormous creatures pummeled through them.

"Badger moles," Moku exclaimed.

The two creatures that sat blocking either exit were in fact badger moles. They appeared menacing, as though they'd strike down each member for having ever dared set foot into their tunnels. "Hey look, badger moles!" Chong said merrily, having just realized what now surrounded him.

"Badger moles are earth benders. Maybe they can get us out of here," Ashlynn suggested to the group. Chong struck a single note on his instrument, and instantly the badger moles dropped any threatening disposition they held. "Hey, they like the music! Play more!" Sokka said, and Chong and his companions began to play a song for the badger moles.

As they did so, Ashlynn circle around to the flank of one and put a single hand on its hind leg. It turned around to look at her, or rather sense her presence, since it was entirely blind. However, it made no attempt to rid itself of her touch, and even welcomed her company. Ashlynn then began to climb upon it, which it allowed her to do without any hesitation.

"Sokka, come on!" Ashlynn said. Sokka grinned up at her, and climbed up on top the badger mole. Both mounted it as though it were a horse; Sokka behind Ashlynn with his arms about her waist. Ashlynn grasped the fur of the badger mole, and instructed Chong and his friends to climb upon the other one. They did so, and instantly the badger moles began to earth bend their way through the tunnels.

"My idea worked after all. These badger moles came to rescue us! We should have tried it a lot sooner," Ashlynn said over her shoulder at Sokka. "Hey, it could just be coincidence," Sokka responded teasingly.

Before Ashlynn could respond to him, the badger mole they rode burst through one final wall, and brought them into the blinding sunlight. Ashlynn covered her face with one hand to keep the sun from blinding her too much.

"Sokka, Ashlynn!" came Katara's voice. Ashlynn allowed her eyes to adjust, and then peered down below her and saw Katara, Aang, and Appa. Ashlynn and Sokka jumped off of their form of transportation and greeted their missing companions.

"How did you guys get out?" Sokka asked. "We trusted in love, like the legend said. As soon as we did that, the ceiling lit up with crystals that showed us the way out," Katara explained enthusiastically.

Ashlynn and Sokka gave one another nervous glances. That hadn't happened to them, so the badger moles had indeed been a coincidence. "Oh... Uh, we just let these furry guys lead us out. Yep," Sokka said while blushing slightly.

"Sounds neat- Well, now that we're all together again, we should get going," Katara exclaimed. "Thanks for every, Chong, and everyone else," Aang said as Chong and his companions leapt off their badger mole and moved towards them to say their goodbyes.

"No- thank YOU Master Arrowhead. We'll play songs about you guys, promise," Chong said. He shook Aang's hand, and then walked off down the mountain with his friends.

"Come on, let's get on Appa and go to Omashu," Ashlynn said, and air bended herself up on top of the flying bison. Appa welcomed her company, and for a moment he reminded her of the friendly badger mole she'd had the chance to meet. Sokka followed up behind her, and they exchanged another awkward glance. Aang and Katara followed him, and then Appa and Momo flew up together towards the top of the mountain.

"Finally, Omashu... Here we come!" Sokka said excitedly as Appa rose up over the mountain.

However, the grand, earthly city of Omashu was not what greeted them. Rather, it was the daunting symbol of the fire nation the hung from each corner of the ancient city. The fire nation had finally overrun King Bumi's town.

"Oh no..." Ashlynn whispered, realizing that there was a lot more in store for her and her companions.


	21. Book 2 Chapter 3

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished.___

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: An ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...__  
_

"I can't believe the war has spread here... Omashu always seemed... Untouchable," Aang said sadly as he gazed out at the disheartening scene before them. "You'd be surprised... The Fire Nation is very powerful," Ashlynn reminded him as she, too, viewed the fallen earth city.

"Omashu was powerful, up until now. Now Ba Sing Se is the only earth nation city still standing," Sokka said, his voice leaving hints that he was losing hope. "Aang, I know this must be difficult to see and accept... But we need to move on. The sooner you find a teacher---" Katara began to say, but was interrupted before she could finish.

"No. I'm going to find King Bumi," Aang declared determinedly, and slowly began to descend the mountain they stood upon.

"Aang... Stop. We could be walking into a trap. Who knows, Bumi might not even be here!" Sokka said in hopes of making Aang change his mind. "I know you had your hopes set on Bumi, but..." Katara tried to say, backing her brother up.

"There are plenty of people in the earth nation that can teach you earth bending," Ashlynn reminded him solemnly. "Right now, I'm not looking for my teacher. I'm looking for my friend," he retorted.

With his final comment said, no one could object. After all, if their friends were in danger, they, too, would do everything they could to help. The team reluctantly agreed to help Aang search for the missing king.

"How will we get into the city without being discovered?" Ashlynn pondered aloud after a few moments of silence. "We'll take to the sewers. No one is going to be patrolling down there, and we can easily water bend the... mess... out of our way," Aang responded, having already thought of a detailed plan. "I trust you know where to enter the sewers, then?" Ashlynn questioned once more. Aang nodded, and mounted Appa. The rest did the same.

Aang guided Appa down to the earthen base of the city, where they'd be well out of sight, especially since it was going to be nighttime soon. Aang then directed Appa to a large metal pipe that jutted out from one side of the base. There was no doubt that it was the entrance to the sewers. Appa halted next to the small ledge that sat beneath the large pipe, and allowed his passengers to dismount upon the ledge. When each member was on safe grounds, Appa flew off to find his own form of hidden shelter.

"Why didn't we just take this passage last time? Would have saved us a lot of trouble," Sokka asked curiously. Aang chuckled, and pried open the metal pipe with his staff. Immediately, green liquid with a vile odor spewed outward at the group. Katara quickly water bended a shield about herself and Ashlynn, leaving Sokka the only one unprotected. He cried out in horror as the fluids splashed over him and instantly stained his clothing.

"That's why we didn't take this passage last time," Aang said, floating above the pipe while it's loose contents spilled out. When the leaking came to a steady and small flow, Aang entered the pipe and instantly began to air bend the sewage around him into the group behind him, rather than hit him head on. Sokka grasped his nose and his stomach, trying to rid himself of the stench and the need to hurl.

Katara water bended the fluids around her and Ashlynn, while Ashlynn made a protective bubble of air around her nostrils as well as Katara's, keeping the foul smell out and a fresh scent in. Sokka was the only one to suffer.

After roughly ten minutes of a steady pace upwards through the pipes, Aang finally reached an entrance to the ground above them. He cautiously lifted the round, metal sewer door, and peered around them to see if there were any guards nearby. When all was safe, he tossed the door to the side and climbed up and out. Katara followed him, Ashlynn followed her, and Sokka came in last, whom was the only one entirely coated in sewage.

Katara giggled, and used the water from a nearby barrel to wash the slime off of her brother. When all the fluids were gone, all that remained what looked to be two miniature purple octopuses. They were attached to each of Sokka's cheeks, and appeared to be sucking on his skin. When Sokka realized this, he instantly screamed in more horror and tried to tug the little creatures off his face, but to no avail.

"Sokka stop making so much noise! It's just a baby purple pentapus," Aang said, and tickled the back of one. It released its five legs from Sokka's face, and allowed itself to be removed. Aang lightly pulled the little creature off, and tossed him back into the sewer where it had been before. Left on Sokka's face were a few rows of red marks, almost like sores, from where the pentapus had been.

Sokka tickled the other baby pentapus, and tossed it back into the sewer too.

"Alright now that we're comfortably ready to proceed, let's put on our disguises and move on," Aang said, and wrapped his head in a cloth to hide his arrow. Ashlynn opened the pack she carried on her back, and pulled out a cloak, shawl, and hair tie. She pulled her fiery hair up above her head, and twisted it into a small bun. She then wrapped the shawl about her head, like Aang did, to better hide her appearance. She then wrapped the cloak about herself so that she looked like Katara and Sokka did, who also wore cloaks.

Luckily, just as soon as they'd finished making themselves look different, the guards patrolled around the corner, but were unable to see through their disguises.

"What are you kids doing out past curfew?" one of the guards demanded. "Sorry sir, we were just on our way home," Katara explained cheerfully. Sokka, Ashlynn, and Aang provided convincing grins to follow. They each turned around, and began to walk away from the guards.

"Wait," the guard said as they began to walk off, "What's the matter with him?"

The children turned around to see whom he was speaking about, and saw him pointing at Sokka. The guard had managed to see the little sores the pentapus had left on his skin.

"He has... pentapox, sir," Katara said, and held onto Sokka's shoulders. Sokka quickly caught on, and instantly made himself appear sick. The guard took a step closer towards Sokka to examine him better. "Sir, I wouldn't recommend getting closer. Pentapox is contagious... and deadly," Katara said, and Sokka further convinced the guard by coughing and then making it look as though he were going to vomit.

"I think I've heard of pentapox..." the guard said in a convinced and terrified tone. Instantly, he and his fellow guards took off running in the other direction, desperate to get away from Sokka.

"Alright, let's go find Bumi," Aang said when the guards were out of sight.

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The team spent the next hour looking about the lower half the city. Sometimes they narrowly evaded the guards, and had to stay out of the moonlight and in the dark shadows of the city, so they couldn't be seen. "We need to find Bumi, fast, and then leave. We'll get caught if we stay here much longer," Katara said.

"Where would they keep him, anyway?" Sokka whispered.

"Somewhere made of metal, so he can't earth bend," Ashlynn responded, knowing Fire Nation tactics well. Aang surveyed the upper half the city from where they were hidden, trying to spot a place made entirely of metal.

"Come on, let's go look at the upper half," Sokka suggested, and they began to continue their search.

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The next portion of their moonlit search went undisturbed, for the most part. When they reached the center of the upper half of the city, a loud rumbling was heard from above them. They stopped, and looked up the wall to their right, and were shocked to see a massive earthly boulder sliding down the wall. Aang looked down to their left to see its target, which appeared to be a fire nation family on a moonlit stroll. A baby was in the group, and as soon as this became known to Aang, he air bended the boulder out of their path to keep the family safe.

"The resistance!" the mother holding the baby cried out. A girl a little older than Katara and Ashlynn stepped out from behind the mother, and cast a series of darts at the group. Ashlynn shuddered in recognition, but did not let her friends see that she recognized the girl.

The girl and two of the guards climbed up a ladder to reach the group. The team turned about as they began to climb, and tried to run away. The guards could not keep up, but the girl proved to be agile, and she continuously cast her darts and various other throwing weapons at the team. Katara kept the team protected by creating ice barriers to stop the flying weapons.

The team came to a slow when they neared a wall, and prepared to fight the girl. However, just when she got close, the earth beneath the group shifted, and turned over, tossing them underground.

Ashlynn groaned and massaged the side of her head where a bruise would form from the fall she'd just taken, and looked up at the scene around her. She was surprised to see many earth benders hiding underground. It was they who earth bended the floor beneath them, and saved them from the enemy that had assaulted them.

"We're the resistance," an older man with a deep voice declared as the team regained their footing. "Is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?" Aang asked excitedly.

"Of course not! We would have won back our town already if he were. On the day of the invasion, our town prepared to fight for our lives and for our freedom. Before we even had the chance to, King Bumi... surrendered..." the leader of the resistance retorted bitterly. Aang frowned at the comment, positive that Bumi would never step down.

"What do you mean? King Bumi would never surrender his own people and his own town," Aang said, utterly confused. "No... The day of the invasion, I asked him what we should do. He looked me in the eye, and said he wasn't going to do anything about it. It doesn't matter now, our only path to freedom is to fight, and it's worth dying for," the man declared courageously.

"No... There's another path to freedom. You can leave Omashu, and fight another day," Aang said, setting aside his worry for Bumi and focusing on the problem at hand. "No, you don't understand, we've lost everything," the man argued stubbornly.

"No... I think the kid is right. We can't win, we're outnumbered," one of the leader's men followed. As soon as he spoke up, the rest of the resistance agreed that they didn't want to fight. "Fine..." the leader spat angrily, and then said "There are thousands of citizens though. How do you plan to get them all out?"

Sokka chuckled, and responded "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox."

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The remainder of the evening was to be spent gathering pentapus and citizens. Aang ordered Ashlynn and Sokka to go down to the sewers and collect the little creatures, while he and Katara helped the resistance gather up the thousands of citizens.

Ashlynn and Sokka snuck back to where they'd exited the sewers, and hopped down into the dark and murky waters. They closed the metal door behind them, and lit the single torch they brought with them. Ashlynn created a protective air bubble around them, and they moved cautiously about the slippery floor, searching for the baby pentapus.

"Here's one," Ashlynn said, and stuck her arm out of the protective air bubble and tugged on a baby pentapus that was attached to the side of the wall. "Here, you need to have them too," Sokka said, and set down the bucket he was holding. Ashlynn handed him the baby pentapus, and he pressed it against one of her cheeks. Ashlynn giggled as it pulled at her skin with its tentacles.

"Wait, I want to tickle it," she giggled, and poked at the small, slippery back of the baby pentapus. It squealed with glee, and Ashlynn smiled as it pulled free. Sokka smiled too, and put the baby pentapus into the bucket of water he had with him. Then, they continued on their way to retrieve more baby purple pentapus.

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It was daytime, and most of the citizens had been 'afflicted with pentapox'. Sokka went about showing the citizens the best way to act sick, so that the guards would set them free, since they were desperate not to catch 'pentapox'.

"Alright, lets go," Sokka shouted to the citizens before him. Immediately, the citizens began to march forward, appearing almost like zombies. Some fell over, some made themselves hurl, some limped, and all groaned.

"Aang's not coming with us," Katara told Ashlynn as they trailed at the back of the 'plagued' army. "Why not?" Ashlynn asked. "He's gone to find King Bumi," she responded. Ashlynn nodded, and said no more.

"Plague- Plague!" cried one guard as the town marched towards the gates. "Open the gates! Let them out!" another guard shouted, and the gates were immediately opened. The groaning citizens marched right out of the gates, and did not stop until they were far out of sight from the city.

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It was late at night when Aang returned to the group. Many campfires had been set up, and every citizen was cheerful, and felt safe. Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara got up and ran towards Aang, who had managed to find King Bumi's oversized pet, Flopsy, but hadn't seen the missing king at all.

"We've got a problem," the leader of the resistance said as Aang followed him companions towards their own campfire. "What's up?" Ashlynn asked quizzically. "We just did a head count..." he responded worriedly. "Oh no! Did someone get left behind?" Katara gasped.

"No... We have an extra," he said, and pointed at a toddler that was chasing Momo about the campsite. Ashlynn recognized the baby boy as the toddler Aang had saved from the rockslide, which meant he was the child of a powerful fire nation leader.

Aang rescued Momo from the child, and Katara's motherly instincts instantly kicked in, and she went to pay the child some attention. "I guess we can watch him, and give him back to his family tomorrow," Aang suggested. The resistance leader nodded, and departed from the group.

Katara sat down near the fire with the baby in her lap. Ashlynn lay out on her stomach near Katara, and played with the toddler as well. Sokka and Aang remained silent, and ate their food.

The crackling cry of a hawk was heard from nearby, and Aang looked up from his bowl of soup to see a messenger hawk fly towards them, and land on a small rock. Aang untied the message it held on its back, and it took off when he had the letter.

"What is it Aang?" Katara asked as she allowed the baby to suck on her fingers while he fell asleep. Ashlynn stroked the baby's head, attempting to soothe it to sleep. She'd always had a love for babies, which was something she and Katara had in common.

"It's a letter from the governor at Omashu. He thinks we kidnapped his son... So he wants to make a trade. His son... for King Bumi," Aang said aloud, almost surprised they'd give up the king so easily.

"Let's do it then! First thing tomorrow," Katara said. Aang nodded in agreement. "Till then, let's get some sleep... Least while the baby is," Ashlynn said. Everyone rolled themselves up into sleeping bags, and lets the fire die out as they fell into a slumber.

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In the morning, Appa flew Aang, Ashlynn, Katara, Sokka, and the baby to the highest portion of the city, where the trade was to be made. Appa flew off, but stayed nearby, in case trouble occurred. Since Sokka was the only one incapable of bending, he was given babysitting duty.

At noon, three women appeared walking up onto the wooden platform the team stood upon. It was difficult to tell who they were, though it was obvious none were the son's father. They stood on the far end of the platform, refusing to move any closer. Aang and his companions stood their ground as well, and awaited Bumi's arrival.

Suddenly, a snorting cackle was heard from above, and Aang looked up with hope. Sure enough, the crazed king was being lowered in an all metal box that kept all but his face covered. Bumi was set down behind the women on the other side of the platform.

"Have you brought my brother?" the woman at the front asked loudly from the other side. Ashlynn snarled under her breath, finally realizing whom the three women were. "He's here, we're ready to trade," Aang shouted back, and Sokka showed the proof that they did have the child.

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me," spoke another of the women. Ashlynn shuddered, having not heard the voice for several years. In fact, she'd nearly forgotten she even existed. She gripped the hilt of her sword that was attached to one hip, and prepared for an attack.

"We're trading a powerful earth bending king for a two-year old. That hardly seems like a fair trade," the threatening woman scorned. The more she spoke, the more horrible memories flooded through Ashlynn's mind. She gripped the hilt even more, trembling with rage as she felt the need to strike her down.

_Azula..._ whispered a single voice in her head. Ashlynn instinctively went to brush a strand of hair from her face, despite the fact her hair was still wound into a bun to better conceal her appearance.

"You're right. The deals off," said the baby's sister. As soon as she said this, Bumi was hoisted into the air again.

"Bumi!" Aang cried out, and moved towards him. Azula charged towards Aang, and shot a massive blue flame in his direction. Aang jumped up over the flame, and began to climb the wood planks stacked upon the side, where construction was being held. Azula, now recognizing him as the Avatar, instantly chased after him as he ran to rescue Bumi.

The other two women charged after Sokka, Ashlynn, and Katara, determined to win back the toddler. "You need to get the baby out of here," Katara shouted to Sokka, who was already running away and blowing on the whistle that called for Appa.

The youngest of the group, whom was clad in pink, ducked beneath the platform they stood on, leaving the moody woman clad in all black to fight Katara and Ashlynn. "You go after Sokka... I'll take care of her," Ashlynn demanded, and removed her sword from its sheath and moved into a defensive stance. Katara hesitated, and then ran after Sokka.

"You really think a sword is going to stop me?" the girl threatened with no tone in her voice at all. Ashlynn held her defensive stance, and waited for her first attack. "Suit yourself," she said, and surprising speed she began to fire darts and other assortments of small weapons at Ashlynn.

Ashlynn began to move towards her, narrowly deflecting the small weapons with her sword. Yet, for every step Ashlynn took forward, her enemy took a step backward away from her, and never stopped firing her darts and weapons. One dart ripped through the shawl on Ashlynn's head, and cut through some of the hair wrapped in the bun. The shawl fell to the ground, along with some hair. Ashlynn brushed her red hair from her face, and continued to charge at her.

"This just got more interesting," the girl grinned slightly, and picked up the pace at which she was throwing weapons.

As she continued to throw more weapons, Ashlynn began to run towards her faster. Ashlynn's pace was faster than hers, and Ashlynn quickly got close to her. Finally in range of her, Ashlynn swung her sword at her right shoulder. She ducked, and moved to puncture Ashlynn's side with one of her many small weapons. Ashlynn stepped away and swung her sword at the center of the woman's shoulder blades. The woman rolled away from the sword, and grasped Ashlynn's ankles as she did so. Ashlynn gasped as she lost her balance and fell over.

"Ashlynn- My bending, it's gone! I need your help!" came Katara's voice from the other end of the platform. Ashlynn quickly glanced over and saw the girl in pink about to knock Katara out for good.

"Ashlynn, huh? I thought I recognized you, with your red hair and how horrible you are at fighting. Wasn't sure, but I guess she confirmed my suspicions. Oh well," she said blandly, and made a move to pin Ashlynn to the floor with one of her weapons.

Ashlynn instantly rolled away, regained her footing, and punched her in one kidney with the hilt of her sword. "I'm better than you, Mai," Ashlynn declared as Mai stumbled from the blow. Just then, Appa landed beside her, and she quickly climbed up into the saddle where Katara and Sokka were, still with the baby.  
"We need to find Aang," Sokka said as Appa flew over the city. A dirt cloud and blue flames were seen from below. "That must be him!" Ashlynn said, and Sokka guided Appa towards the scene.

When Appa neared Aang, who was sliding down one of the chutes on top of the metal prison that held Bumi, Sokka guided Appa near the chute, and when he got close Aang made an attempt to air bend himself and Bumi into Appa's saddle. However, the cage flew right over Appa and fell down into another chute far below them, and out of sight.

Sokka had Appa follow the chute down to the bottom. Sure enough, Aang awaited them, yet Bumi was not there. Yet, Aang did not seem too upset. Aang flew up into Appa's saddle, and proceeded to tell them what had happened.

"Bumi told me that earth benders wait and listen, which is why he chose not to act. He chose to be neutral, and being neutral is why he can't leave now. He said I will find a different teacher, and it'll be someone who waits and listens," Aang explained as they flew.

"If Bumi thinks you'll find someone, then I do too," Katara said, and hugged Aang.

"Before we run off to various earth nation cities... may I suggest we return the baby?" Ashlynn giggled, and held out the little baby boy that was fast asleep.

Aang nodded, and picked up the child. He opened the wings of his staff, and flew back in the direction of Omashu to return the lost child. When he returned, he guided Appa to a safe place where they could sleep, and rest up before searching for an earth-bending teacher for Aang...


	22. Book 2 Chapter 4

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished.___

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: An ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...__  
_

Ashlynn firmly grasped her staff with both hands. She was still grateful towards Aang, who'd had it made for her. She only regretted she hadn't had much of a chance to use it yet. She focused on the staff, and sensed the air currents around it, and she was nearly tempted to jump off of Appa and glide away for a while.

A slight breeze rustled her hair, and she combed through a side, and silently growled to herself when she felt the uneven portion. Ever since her fight with Mai, whom had managed to slice through a shawl she had on her head, thus cutting off some of her hair as well, she'd been troubled about her very appearance. She grew impatient, and wished the missing hair would grow back. Yet, she knew it would remain uneven until she cut her hair to its length.

"It's not that bad Ashlynn, you can't even tell until you start playing with it like that," Katara said, noticing Ashlynn picking at the shorter strands of hair. Ashlynn frowned, and grasped her staff again to help keep from playing with her hair.

Ashlynn peered out over Appa's saddle, and shivered as she saw an eerie swamp beneath them. She then noticed the swamp was getting closer. "Sokka, Aang's taking us down there," Ashlynn said, still peering over at the ominous swamp.

Sokka looked over the side of Appa's saddle too to confirm Ashlynn's comment, and then spoke to Aang. "Are you taking us down for a reason?" Sokka asked, yet Aang didn't reply. "Aang?" Sokka asked again after a minute of silence.

"What? Oh, I didn't even notice," Aang responded finally, and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead.

"What's the matter, Aang?" Katara asked, instantly getting worried about Aang's strange behavior.

"Err... I know this is going to sound weird but... I think that swamp is... calling to me!" Aang said, and shuddered. The group stared at his back, bewildered. Ashlynn felt Katara's growing worries, and she, too, felt slightly worried for Aang.

"What do you mean?" Ashlynn spoke up, curious as to what Aang was talking about. "I think it wants us to land there..." he trailed off into his own thoughts.

"Aang, there's not even a spot we can land on. It's all covered in trees and everything. Where would Appa fit?" Sokka reminded him, trying to spot a place to land, but failed to do so.

"Bumi said to learn earth bending, I needed to learn to wait and listen. Now, I'm actually hearing the earth. Should I ignore it?" Aang replied bitterly.

"I don't know Aang... There's something ominous about the swamp," Katara said, and peered over the saddle with Ashlynn and Sokka to get a better look at the swamp that was still getting closer and closer. Appa roared in protest to Aang's wishes, as well.

"See, even Appa doesn't want to land here," Sokka said, trying his hardest to convince Aang to fly away. "Okay... Since all of you feel so strongly about this, I guess we shouldn't," Aang said, and steered Appa upward into the sky again. Ashlynn watched the swamp grow further away as he did so.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling in the earth, and a loud wind was heard from behind them. Everyone aside Aang turned to look behind Appa, and gasped in unison as they saw a tornado they was headed right in their direction. "Aang, we got to get out of here fast!" Sokka shouted over the loud winds.

Ashlynn gripped her staff tightly and prepared for collision with the tornado, which was approaching them much faster than they could run. Try as he might, Aang couldn't prevent Appa and his passengers from being sucked right into the monstrous tornado. So, to promise the groups safety, he hopped up and landed beside his companions, and created a protective bubble of air around them, to keep the tornado from separating everyone. Ashlynn helped by making another protective layer of air.

Yet, their attempts were futile, for the winds of the tornado were too strong for the combined efforts of Ashlynn and Aang. The shield of air broke, and the team was sent flying off of Appa in all directions.

Ashlynn screamed in fear for her own life as the tornado whirled her about at a fast speed. She felt as though her brain were rolling about viciously in her head, and like her skin would be peeled right from her bones. She couldn't even muster enough strength to bring her arms up to her face and protect her eyes from the violent leaves that whipped about her.

Suddenly, she was tossed from the tornado right into the swamp. She screamed as she collided with its dark, tall trees, and then collapsed into unconsciousness.

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Ashlynn groaned with pain and a searing headache as she finally stirred from her slumber. She was surprised to see she was still well intact, and was even more surprised to see she still had her staff. She couldn't recall having held onto it during the unfortunate event with the tornado.

She waited a few moments for her vision to clear, and then noticed she was tangled in some vines. "How I ever managed to survive... I don't know," she muttered to herself as she tried to tug her sword from its sheath. Both wrists were knotted into vines, but she managed to pull her arms down to her hip and uncover her sword. She then cut the bonds on her legs so that her legs dangled freely, and then proceeded to slice through the vines around her waist and arms. Luckily, there was none around her neck.

What she had not taken into consideration was how far the fall was. She gasped and held tightly to her staff as she fell, but was too terrified of the swamp itself to scream or make any other loud noise. She used her staff to create a soft 'air-bed' beneath her to catch her fall, and she landed safely in the shallow, murky waters of the swamp.

She sighed with stress as she looked in all directions, unable to see past the thick crowding of the looming trees. None of her companions were in sight, and it was slowly getting darker and darker as the sun went down. Ashlynn shivered with fear, and tried to remain brave as she thought up a plan of what to do.

She decided it was best to remain put, try to sleep, and shout for help in the morning. Ashlynn crawled up into a nook within a grouping of tree roots, and created a small air bubble around her in hopes of keeping out anything she didn't want near her.

And slowly, uneasily, but surely, she fell asleep.

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Ashlynn groaned, once again, as a single stray strand of light shone through the treetops right upon her face. She held a hand up to block the sunlight and let her eyes adjust. She then grasped her staff, and used it to help herself stand up.

She could see her surroundings better, since it wasn't as dark out. Her knowledge of her surroundings had deceived her the evening before, and frowned as she failed to recognize the area she was in. It was almost as though she'd been moved from her sleeping spot to a whole new area.

"Sokka? Aang? Katara?" Ashlynn shouted as loud as her own lungs and throat would permit. There was no response, and so she decided to carefully step through the shallow waters of the swamp.

She didn't fully trust that the swamp would keep her alive, so she refrained from damaging the trees and vines with her sword. Instead, she merely found her own passageways through the mazes of roots and thick tree vines, trying to find any sign of human life.

After stomping through the swamp for at least an hour, Ashlynn's hope began to falter. At least- until she finally spotted a human.

Through the thick tree vines and branches, Ashlynn managed to make out a figure standing on the other end of a clearing from which Ashlynn was. Desperate for help and company, Ashlynn shoved past the vines and ran into the clearing.

"Hello? Are you lost, too?" Ashlynn asked, and frowned with confusion when the person did not turn around.

Looking at the person from behind, Ashlynn was able to tell the figure was female. She had long, thick red hair that ran down to her waist, and she was clad in an old, brown skirt and ruined moccasins. Ashlynn frowned, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Ashlynn began to run towards the woman, still calling out in an attempt to get her to turn around. When Ashlynn was no more than ten feet away, she blinked, and suddenly the woman was gone.

Ashlynn gasped and skidded to a halt, looking around for the mysterious woman. It was impossible for her to have gone out sight within the short moment it took Ashlynn to blink. So, she came to the conclusion that she was most likely hallucinating from lack of food and from poor sleep.

She walked towards where she'd seen the woman before, and continued in a straight path, to where she bumped into an enormous tree root that jutted high up from the ground. Ashlynn took a deep breath, and air bended her way to the top of it. From where she stood now, she could get a better idea of where she was.

Yet, before she could go any further, she was suddenly struck down by two beings much heavier than her. She cried out in surprise as she and the beings fell off the massive root towards another being, and all four collapsed in a heap.

"What are you guys doing?" came the voice of Sokka, and Ashlynn realized she'd never been more relieved to hear his voice. "What do you mean?" came Katara's voice. Ashlynn felt weight being lifted off of her as Katara stood up.

"I've been looking all over for you guys!" Sokka growled. "Well I've been looking all over for you!" Katara shouted back. Ashlynn groaned, and suddenly missed the silence she'd been given moments before. Ashlynn felt her arm being grasped as Sokka made an attempt to pull her up.

"Glad you're safe, we'd spent all of yesterday looking for you," he said quietly to her as she stood up. She nodded, the throbbing in her head preventing her from responding with words.

"I was looking for some girl..." Aang said, as he, too, stood up. "What girl?" Katara asked curiously.

"I don't know, I saw a girl in a fancy dress with a pet flying boar. So I chased her, and she led me here," he explained.

"I saw someone too," Ashlynn said suddenly. "Who did you see?" Aang asked, glad he wasn't the only one seeing people.

"I don't know, she was a woman with really long red hair, dressed in nothing more than a peasant's outfit," Ashlynn explained. "Did you find her?" Katara asked.

"No... I ran after her, but she vanished suddenly. I was hallucinating," Ashlynn sighed, and rubbed one of her temples with her free hand, still gripping her staff in the other.

"I don't think you were hallucinating. I thought I saw my mother, and she's... gone," Katara said. "Yeah, it's no coincidence we all saw something. The girl I was chasing vanished too," Aang said.

"Look, we were all just tired and hungry. There's nothing supernatural going on here. I think Ash is right, and we were just hallucinating, seeing things that weren't there," Sokka retorted angrily.

"You saw someone too?" Aang asked, bewildered. "I thought I saw Yue... But that doesn't prove anything."

"It's not a coincidence, Sokka," Katara argued. "I think about Yue a lot... And you saw mom, who you miss a lot. We were just seeing things," Sokka said.

"But... I didn't know the person I saw," Aang frowned. "I didn't know the person I saw, either," Ashlynn said, backing him up.

"And, all our visions led us right here," Aang told them, and everyone realized he was right. "Well where is here? What's so significant about the middle of the swamp?" Katara fought sarcastically. "Yeah... It's the center. The heart of the swamp, it's been calling us here!" Aang said happily, and pointed up as the massive tree that loomed over them.

It was by far the largest tree Ashlynn had laid eyes on, at least within the swamp. It stood several hundred feet over them, and even its mammoth roots swallowed their size. Ashlynn listened to what Aang was saying, and realized that the massive tree was the start of the swamp, that it alone was the mother of all the plants and other trees living for miles in every direction. Had it not been for the ancient tree, the swamp would not exist.

"Guys... for the LAST time, there's nothing calling to us! Nothing is after us, and there's nothing 'magical' happening here!" Sokka shouted, having gone to his last nerve.

Just as he said that, a monstrous being made entirely of tree vines rose from the water beside them. It dwarfed the children in height. Even if they stood on one another's shoulders, it would still remain much taller than them.

The children cried out in shock, and grasped onto one another, unable to think of what to do about the vine monster before them. One of its massive arms rose upwards, and the team ran away in all directions. Yet, Sokka was grasped anyways, for the vines grew out towards him. They tugged him back, and he cried out in fear as he tried to free himself.

Katara kept running, but Aang and Ashlynn paused to air bend at the enormous arm that held Sokka sight within its grasp. The air sharpened, and sliced through the thick vines, causing them to fall from the rest. Sokka fell with the loose vines, and quickly used his weapon to slice the remaining bonds about him.

Enraged, the creature used its other arm to attack Aang. Before Aang could react, he was thrown across the area, and slammed into a tree with full force.

With Aang distracted, the creature gathered more vines from the surrounding area to re-grow the parts it had lost. With a fresh arm, it grasped Sokka again, and took off speeding down the main river that was near them. Katara took the opportunity to jump in front of it, and use the river's water to create a massive gash in the shoulder of the vine being.

Yet, her efforts didn't gain much, for the creature used more vines to heal the area, making it whole once again. Katara then tried a different approach, and created a giant wave with the water, and forced it upon the monster. It was pushed back, and slammed intoa root of the mother tree. Katara then ran towards it, and when she got close enough, the creature struck her with a grouping of vines that spilled out from its center.

Ashlynn watched as Katara flew through the air and, like Aang, collided with a tree. Ashlynn then created a ball of air, and rode on it along one of the roots towards the creature in an attempt to get it from another angle. Aang distracted it, and allowed it to strike him like it did Katara.

When she got close, Ashlynn held her staff in front of her like a spear, and jumped off her ball of air towards the head of the creature. She bended the air around her, and gave herself enough force and speed to cut right through the side of the head of the monster with her staff. She came out the other side, and turned around to see the damage.

There was a round hole going through its head for a moment, but it quickly healed by re-growing the vines to block the hole. It turned to strike her with an arm, but she quickly opened her glider and jumped out of harm's way, and flew up towards a branch above it.

Aang was the next to try and damage it, and he bended his way to the top of its head. She created a small tornado around the being, and twisted the vines around itself, giving Katara some time to finally free Sokka from the being.

Aang hopped off the creature before it could retaliate, and flew up to the branch where Ashlynn stood, still catching her breath and trying to find the perfect moment to jump in. They nodded at each other, and surveyed the scene below.

With Sokka freed, Katara was able to focus on finally bringing the creature down. She began to quickly bend sharp disks of water at the creature, slicing it in all places. It was gaining wounds faster than it could heal itself.

"Come on Aang, let's keep it busy," Ashlynn said, and opened her glider. Aang nodded, and opened his glider too. Together they flew down, and swarmed around its face and middle, trying to annoy it and cause it to lose its focus on healing itself.

"There's someone inside it bending the vines!" Sokka shouted suddenly, and Ashlynn turned to notice a person standing in the middle of the creature. Now realizing the solution, Katara bended one final slice across the middle of its face, and the vines finally collapsed upon one another. Ashlynn landed beside her companions, glad that the battle was over.

Aang landed, and sent a full wind at the vines, causing them to slide off and away from the person. Ashlynn grimaced as she saw the chubby, bearded man wore nothing more than a loin cloth.

"Why did you call us here if you just wanted to kill us?" Aang demanded, and held his staff as a weapon towards the man. "What? I didn't call you here," the man replied, confused yet intrigued.

"I heard something calling to me, telling me to land," Aang argued, trying to get the man to spit out the truth. "He's the Avatar. Stuff like that happens to us all the time," Sokka followed sarcastically.

"The Avatar? Come with me!" the man replied, and took off towards the mother tree. The group gave one another confused looks, and then decided it'd be better if they did. So, they followed him.

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"So, who exactly are you?" Katara asked as they followed the swamp man up a massive root towards the trunk of the mother tree. "I protect the swamp from people who want to hurt it, like this fellow," the man replied, and motioned to Sokka.

"I told you there was nothing mystical going on around here. No monsters or anything, just a man guarding what's his," Sokka said, satisfied and convinced he was correct.

"Oh but the swamp is a mystical place. It's sacred. I reached enlightenment right here, at the base of this tree," he told the group, and sat down at the base of the tree where the major root was jutting out from.

"I heard it calling to me, just like you did. This whole swamp is really just one big tree spread out for miles. Branches spread, sink, and take root, and then spread even more. It's just one big organism, just like the whole world," he explained, and the group looked out at the swamp before them, trying to understand what he meant.

"I get out the tree is all one thing... But, the whole world?" Aang pondered aloud, confused.

"Well sure. Do you really think you're any different from me, or your friends? Or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear everything living together as one. You can see everything growing. We're all living together, even if most everyone don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we're all branches of the same tree," he finished poetically.

"We each had visions though. What do those mean?" Katara asked, hoping the man could explain.

"In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved, and folks we think are gone. The swamp tells us they're not, and that we're still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death," he said, and Ashlynn raised an eyebrow in confusion, trying to make sense of what he was saying. She could understand how that would apply to Katara and Sokka, but she and Aang didn't know the people they saw.

As if reading her mind, Aang asked "But what about the person I saw? It was someone I had never met."

"You're the Avatar, you tell me!" the man chuckled.

Aang thought hard for a few moments. "If time is an illusion... Then... It's someone... I will meet?" Aang asked, wondering if he'd had it correct. The man nodded, confirming that Aang had it right. Ashlynn wondered for a moment if the person she'd seen was someone she'd meet.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but, we still need to find Appa and Momo," Sokka said suddenly. Ashlynn jumped slightly, realizing that Appa and Momo were in fact missing. She'd grown so used to them being around, she hadn't noticed that they weren't.

"I think I know how to find them. If everything's connected, then I can feel through the roots of this tree, and find them using that method," Aang said, and placed a single palm on the massive root. Everyone stared at him for a moment, wondering if his plan would work.

"Come on, we got to hurry! He's in trouble!" Aang gasped, and opened his glider and quickly flew off.

"Lets hurry," the man said, and began bending the vines around them. "Let me follow the kid, I'll bend our way there," he said, and Ashlynn gasped in surprise as the vines wrapped around her waist. Then, at an alarming pace, the group began to move in the direction Aang had flown off in.

"Let me help Aang!" Katara shouted to the swamp man. He nodded, and allowed the vines to release Katara when she neared Aang. Together, she and Aang ran out of sight towards a stream.

The swamp man released Sokka and Ashlynn several moments later, and together they ran towards Aang and Katara.

Ashlynn frowned when she saw more swamp folks before them. Aang and Katara had already stopped them from capturing Appa and Momo, and they even refrained from attacking because Katara was a water bender, just like them.

"Hey Huu! What you been up to?" one of the skinny swamp men, also wearing a simple loin cloth, asked the guardian of the swamp. "Oh, I been around," the man, Huu, shrugged.

Sokka stared at Huu, completely dumbfounded, and Ashlynn giggled at the look on his face.

Then, the group followed the 'swamp-benders' back to their 'home', where they were to be given a decent meal and some well earned rest.

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Ashlynn gagged as the swamp-benders passed around their dinner. "Bugs?" she asked, and held up the oversized fly before her. "And possum-chicken!" the skinny man, Due, said, and took a bite out of his meal. Ashlynn made a repulsed face, and gave her food to Sokka, who happily ate her food as well as his own.

"So, I hope you guys realize now that there's nothing supernatural or magical about this swamp," Sokka said after he finished eating.

"What about the visions?" Katara asked, still angry that he refused to believe in anything about the paranormal. "I told you, we were tired and hungry! We're eating bugs, for goodness sakes!" he responded, and ate another bug.

"But what about the roots showing Aang where Appa and Momo were?" Ashlynn asked, and scratched the head of Momo, who lay beside her, happy to be back with his 'family'.

"That's all Avatar stuff, it hardly counts. I just can't figure out how Huu made the tornado that sucked us down here in the first place," Sokka pondered aloud. "I can't do anything like that! I just bend the water in the vines," Huu responded.

Sokka paused before saying "Well, bad weather happens everywhere." The group sighed in annoyance at his response.

Then, the group rolled out their sleeping bags, and fell into a deep slumber, so that they'd be awake and capable of continuing their journey the following day.


	23. Book 2 Chapter 5

___**Disclaimer:**____ I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_  
__A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: An ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...__  
_

A deep rumbling in the earth startled Ashlynn, and awoke her from her deep sleeping state. With hastened reflexes, she grasped her staff and quickly stood up and took a defensive stance, looking around the area to see who the attackers were. Her companions were already on their feet as well.

The team had spent several days flying away from the swamp, and had made camp the evening before in a small clearing in the middle of a forest, as they usually did. It was daytime now, and Ashlynn recognized their attackers as Fire Nation, though she was hardly surprised.

Appa included, the party was completely surrounded by four fire nation men that were mounted upon what could more or less be described as rhinoceros'. The leader of the group demanded the team's immediate surrender.

Naturally, the team refused surrender, and quickly made their way to Appa, avoiding the flaming arrows the fire nation shot at them. As they gathered their belongings, Ashlynn used her staff to create winds powerful enough to deflect the fiery weapons, giving her companions time to collect most of their belongings. When they'd gathered all they could, they clambered into Appa's saddle, and motioned for Ashlynn to hurry.

Taking their advice, Ashlynn sent one final wind at the men before her, and used the excess wind currents to fly herself up onto Appa with her companions. Aang hastily ordered Appa to take flight, and they instantly flew away from the sudden scene.

"My boomerang!" Sokka cried out as they flew away. "There's no time Sokka, we had to grab what we could! We lost at least one sleeping bag, and most of our food. We'll have to go shopping," Katara explained, and Sokka hung his head dejectedly. Ashlynn scooted over to him and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "No worries Sokka, we'll find you a new boomerang," she reassured him.

"That boomerang is part of my identity! It's like a lost part of myself!" he said, and refused to lift his head up. Ashlynn saw Katara roll her eyes, and frowned in response. Katara gave her a shrug, and then went to speak to Aang.

"I'm going to land Appa near the next town we come across, so we can regain some supplies," Aang told them. Ashlynn nodded, and attempted to cheer Sokka up the remainder of the way.

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"We need some food, we'll take whatever you've got," Katara asked the shop keeper. The man smiled in response, and moved to the back of his small shop to gather some food for the group.

Aang had landed Appa outside a small town. The shop they were at was on the skirts of the town as well. Sokka hadn't stopped sulking, and Ashlynn hadn't stopped trying to comfort him.

"I'm sorry about your boomerang, Sokka," Aang said sympathetically. "You don't understand! Losing my boomerang would be like you losing your arrow! It's a part of yourself," he responded poetically.

"Well, come on, we've got our food. I think it's best we moved on," Katara said, holding up a basket filled with an assortment of nutritious foods.

The man from the shop walked out and towards them, and began to close up his shop while Katara searched for the money to pay him. She pulled out a single coin, and handed it to the man. "Hey! Water tribe money!" the man exclaimed cheerfully. "I hope that's alright," Katara blushed. The man nodded, and finished closing up his shop.

"Have a nice Avatar Day!" he said as he began to walk off towards the town.

"Avatar Day?" Aang asked curiously, with enthusiasm. "Yeah! You guys are going to the festival, right?" the man replied cheerfully, and then continued on his way to the town.

"Wow! They must be holding an event there in honor of you Aang! We should go check it out," Katara said eagerly. Aang nodded, and the group agreed to walk down to the town and see what there was to see.

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"I would've never expected them to have a holiday after me," Aang said, picking up a figurine of Avatar Kioshi that was on display at a souvenir shop. "Wow! Look at that Kioshi float!" Katara said, and pointed out at the main street where a looming figure of Kioshi was passing by. Enthralled, the children ran towards where the float was going to be presented to the crowd.

"And Avatar Rouku!" Ashlynn exclaimed, and pointed out at the float of Rouku that was being brought up next to Kioshi. "You know, having a festival in my honor is great enough, but I think it's just nice to be appreciated," Aang said, and smiled at the surrounding people, glad to have made an impact on people's lives. Katara, Aang, and Ashlynn gazed at the massive floats, while Sokka happily stuffed his face with deep fried foods.

"Look Aang!" Katara shouted excitedly, and pointed at the approaching float of none other than Aang himself. The float of Aang was placed next to the other two floats, and was left to be presented to all who had come to the festival. "Hey look at the man with the torch! That's a nice effect to everything," Sokka commented as a shirtless man ran through the crowd with giant torch.

"Hey... What's he doing?" Katara asked worriedly, but before anyone could respond, the man with the torch jumped through the float of Avatar Kioshi, using the torch to set it on fire. He then moved to the float of Avatar Rouku, and set that on fire as well. The crowd began to chant "Down with the Avatar!", and it was all Aang could do to keep from losing his grip.

Katara finally lost her patience when the man threw the final torch right into the eye of the float of Aang. Angered, Katara ran forward, and used water from nearby barrels to burn out the fire.

"Hey! That girl is trying to ruin Avatar Day!" a man from the crowd shouted. In defense of Katara, Aang emerged from the crowd and flew up on top of the float of himself, and revealed his true appearance to everyone. "Well she is my friend!" he shouted to the whole crowd.

"It's the Avatar himself!" another pompous man shouted out. "It's going to kill us with its Avatar powers!" another man screamed. "No, I'm not going to kill anybody!" Aang argued.

"I suggest you leave. You're not welcome here," the pompous man from earlier said. He had dark hair, a dark mustache that ran down his face, and he wore green robes. Ashlynn instantly saw him as a man that cared only about himself, and not of the affair of others.

"Why isn't he welcome here?" Katara demanded, and Ashlynn and Sokka instantly moved to her side to show she wasn't alone. "Yeah, why not? I'm on your side, I help people!" Aang said, and leapt down from the float and stood with his companions.

"I seriously doubt that. Based on what you did in the past to our people... It was Avatar Kioshi who murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great!" the man said, instantly accusing Aang of having committed such a crime.

"You think... That I killed someone?" Aang responded with disbelief. "Aang would never do that! None of the Avatar's would! And it's not fair for you to question his honor like that!" Katara argued, refusing to let the citizens treat Aang so poorly. "Here's what we think of the Avatar's honor!" a man shouted back, and made a rude gesture. The rest of the crowd cheered, and did the same, disrespecting Aang in every way possible.

"Give me a chance to clear my name!" Aang shouted to the whole crowd. The pompous man, who appeared to be the leader of the small town, spoke out again. "The only way you can do that is to stand trial! And if you stand trial, you must follow all our rules, which includes paying bail," he said proudly. "No problem!" Aang said.

Ashlynn and Sokka exchanged nervous glances, not entirely sure if the town would take water tribe money, since water tribe money was all they had.

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"How was I supposed to know they wouldn't take water tribe money?" Aang asked his companions from behind bars. "Come on, we're going to bust you out of here," Sokka said to Aang. Ashlynn tapped the side of her staff impatiently, wishing they could leave the town they were stuck in.

"No, I don't want this town to hate me," Aang responded. "So what if they hate you? The whole fire nation hates you! ...Aside Ashlynn, of course," he said, and avoided Ashlynn's teasing glare. "Now come on," Sokka pleaded. "Yeah Aang," Katara followed.

"Aang, you're supposed to be out saving the world... You can't do that if you're locked up," Ashlynn explained in an attempt to persuade him to agree. "Well, I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer either... What I need is for you guys to help prove my innocence," Aang asked politely, yet slightly desperately.

"How are we supposed to do that? The crime happened so long ago..." Ashlynn said hopelessly. "Well, Sokka's kind of the brains of the outfit. I figured he could think of something," Aang grinned at Sokka. Sokka raised one eyebrow in response, and nodded slightly in agreement. "I guess I do have my intelligent ways..." he pondered aloud, and Katara and Ashlynn shook their heads with disbelief.

"So does that mean you'll help?" Aang asked hopefully. "Fine, I guess I will. How hard can it be?" Sokka shrugged. Katara and Ashlynn giggled together, eager to see how smart Sokka really was.

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"This is the crime scene," said the boastful leader of the little town. Sokka ran up to the small, stone shrine and instantly began to examine every corner of it.

Sokka had decided that the best place to start the investigation was at the place where the actual murder had happened. They went to the leader, and asked him for a tour about the area, and for his own side of the story. So, he brought them to a small shrine that stood at the edge of a cliff, and indicated that that's where the murder had taken place.

"This is the footprint of the killer, Kioshi," the man explained, and pointed at a single foot imprinted in the dirt at the very edge of the cliff. Sokka ran over to the footprint, while Katara and Ashlynn waited for Sokka to finish investigating.

"It was three hundred years ago that Kioshi stepped out from this temple and killed Chin the Great. After that tragic day, we built this statue in his honor. Feel free to appreciate it," the leader said, and stormed off to leave the friends to their investigating. When he was gone Sokka began to examine the statue of Chin the Great very carefully. Ashlynn eyed it warily, wondering how a man with an appearance as such was ever a great ruler.

Suddenly, Sokka ran from the statue to the temple and examined the temple again. Ashlynn and Katara stared at him curiously, and watched him run back and forth between the statue and the temple until he'd come to a conclusion. "This statue, and this temple, are cut from the same stone... Yet we've been told the statue was made after the crime happened," Sokka announced suspiciously.

"So if they were built at the same time... That means..." Katara went to finish Sokka's sentence, but he rudely interrupted his sister. "I want to solve it! I'm figuring the things out, I want to be the one to do this!" he whined, and Katara clamped her mouth shut and eyed him in annoyance.

"If they were built at the same time then that means Kioshi never set foot in this temple!" Sokka finished triumphantly. "That is a major hole in the story but... It's not enough," Ashlynn said soberly, wondering what else they could do to prove Aang's innocence. "You're right... We need to go to Kioshi Island," Sokka said, almost as if answering Ashlynn's mental question.

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Since Kioshi island was practically neighbors with the town they were in now, Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara were able to fly Appa over to the small island within several minutes. Ashlynn was glad to see the inhabitants had restored their town from the chaotic events that had taken place during their last trip. The same squealing fans that Aang had began to cheer as Appa came into their view. They ran to greet Aang, only to realize he was the only member missing.

When the townsfolk realized Aang had failed to come, they departed and went back to living their routinely lives, save for the leader of the island, who stayed to find out why Aang's companions had come for a visit. "These people think their leader was murdered by Kioshi hundreds of years ago," Sokka hastily explained. "That's crazy! I'll take you to her shrine. Maybe something there will help you clear her name," the elderly man said, almost as if he'd taken personal offense to the accusations on Kioshi.

"So... What's Suki up to?" Sokka asked as the three friends followed the man to Kioshi's shrine. Ashlynn narrowed her eyes in annoyance and glared at Sokka, feeling slightly jealous. "She and the other warriors went to fight in the war. You guys had a really big impact on Suki. She said you inspired her, and she wanted to help change the world," he explained.

"How heroic!" Katara exclaimed, happy for Suki. "Yeah... That's great," Sokka replied nervously. Ashlynn remained silent.

Before the conversation could get any more awkward, the leader of Kioshi Island halted at the foot of the shrine. He appreciated its magnificence for a moment, and then entered the shrine.

"This temple was converted into a shrine for Kioshi. The clerics tell us these relics are still connected to her soul," he explained, and showed the group several of Kioshi's belongings that were up for display. The relics included Kioshi's clothing and weapons.

Katara examined Kioshi's kimono, while Sokka examined her fans. Ashlynn took a particular interest in Kioshi's boots, which looked far too large to belong to a woman. "These belonged to Kioshi? Her feet must've been massive," Ashlynn muttered bitterly, yet still loud enough for people to hear.

"The biggest feet of any Avatar," the elder explained.

"That footprint that man showed us is way too small. There's no way Kioshi made that footprint," Sokka said, and Ashlynn nodded, having already figured that out. "That means there's nothing linking her to the crime scene," Ashlynn said, and Sokka nodded along with her. Katara frowned at them both.

The older man then brought the children to a picture hung upon the wall. Ashlynn stared at it for a long moment, and fully appreciated Avatar Kioshi during that moment.

"This piece was painted at sunrise on the day this island was founded. It was today, in fact, three hundred and seventy years ago," he ended his explanation shortly.

"What? Three hundred and.. Wait, you're sure it was today?" Sokka demanded to know. "Well, it is Kioshi day after all, so, yes," the man responded confidently. Sokka went into deep thought, and stared at the picture for a long while. When he'd found something, he grinned with pride.

"This painting took place at sunset, not sunrise...you can tell based on the shadows," he explained. "So?" Ashlynn responded with a slight attitude. "If this took place at sunset then she couldn't have been at the town committing the crime!" Sokka exclaimed, feeling very intelligent.

"That's great! I'm sure we have enough evidence by now to prove Aang's innocence. Let's return, tell the mayor, and get out of here," Ashlynn said, desperate to leave. Sokka and Katara agreed, and they rushed to Appa in order to fly back to the mainland.

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"Honorable Mayor, we've prepared a rather solid defense for the Avatar. We've done an investigation, and found some very strong evidence," Katara explained.

It was late in the evening, and the companions had confronted the mayor right in front of Aang's prison, so that Aang could hear what they'd discovered as well. Ashlynn was leaning against a wall, picking at a scratch in her staff as she listened to the conversation.

"Evidence? That's not how our court system works!" the vain mayor responded with a slight chuckle. "Then how do I prove my innocence?" Aang asked gravely. "Well, I say what happened, then you say what happened, and then _I_ decide who is right!" the man chuckled again, and stuck his nose in the air proudly.

Sokka and Katara gasped in surprise, and watched as the mayor stormed off, still cackling like a madman. Ashlynn looked up through the hair in her face to watch the mayor walk off, but did not lift her head. When he was gone, she looked back down at her staff and continued to pick at the scratch.

"Well Aang, I guess we will have to help you memorize what the evidence is, and tomorrow when you go on trial you explain what happened," Katara said. Aang agreed, eager to clear his own name, and so Sokka and Katara began to tell him what they'd found. Ashlynn remained by herself against the wall.

She eventually tuned out the voices of her companions, and went into a deep thought about her life and her past.

An air-bender living in the Fire Nation... In truth, she shouldn't even exist. Aang was supposed to be the last air-bender alive. Yet, she did exist, and it was a miracle. She hadn't lived with the royal family all her life, so she must've come from somewhere where people knew her story, knew who she was and how she existed. She figured Iroh knew something about it, too.

_Iroh... I wonder if he's told Zuko...___

Zuko, the first person she ever remembers meeting. Not the Fire Lord, not his wife, not Iroh, nor Azula... Zuko. Ashlynn had every memory of Zuko stored into her mind, and wished his life could have turned out better. The way he acted now was almost as if they'd never been friends, like they were born enemies... The way it should've been.

Yet, she could find no regret for leaving him. She was happier than ever, traveling with her companions. She'd never had friends who treated her better than Katara, Aang, and Sokka did. There was a time Zuko did, but now...

The memory of kissing Sokka suddenly flooded into Ashlynn's mind. It felt like she'd been punched in the gut, and her breathing halted for a moment. Her heart raced, and she wondered if Sokka ever thought about it, or if he even cared.

_We're only friends.... We had to do what we did to stay alive. It got us out of those caverns. It didn't mean anything... Right?___

Ashlynn felt like there were two sides of her mind at war with one another. On one hand, she thought it hardly mattered. Yet, there was a nagging voice, making her wonder if there was any meaning to it...

"Ashlynn? You're going to ruin your staff."

Sokka's whispering voice brought Ashlynn back to reality. She looked down at her staff and saw she'd begun carving the symbols of the four nations into the side of it with her finger nails. She hissed and dropped her staff when she felt a searing pain in her fingertips. She put her pointer and middle fingers into her mouth for comfort, and instantly tasted blood.

She watched Sokka pick up her staff and examine the blood on it. "If you wanted to carve pretty pictures into it so bad, you could have borrowed my knife. You've probably given yourself some good sized wounds, using your fingers and all," Sokka whispered, and tried cleaning off the blood stains. Ashlynn pulled her fingers from her mouth and frowned at the cuts on them. She figured she had a few splinters, too.

"Why are we whispering?" Ashlynn whispered back, and took her staff back from Sokka. "It's so late, Aang fell asleep while we were trying to teach him. Katara already left, told me to bring you back to reality," he whispered, and laughed quietly. Ashlynn grinned, and nodded her thanks.

Together, they turned around and left the prison and silently walked towards the building where they were staying at.

"Do you think Aang will convince them not to take retribution on him tomorrow?" Ashlynn asked as they walked across the soft dirt. "I sure hope so. We're doomed, otherwise," Sokka responded. "Oh, very reassuring," Ashlynn said sarcastically, and playfully punched him in the arm. He smiled back, and said "I bet we've got nothing to worry about."

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In the morning, Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara gathered with the rest of the town to watch Aang's trial. The mayor was the first one up to present what he thought what happened, and Aang was to follow.

"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so... great! Then the Avatar came along and killed him... And that's what happened," he finished abruptly, and sat down with the rest of the town to see how Aang would do in telling his side of the story.

"You can do it Aang, just remember the evidence," Sokka murmured loud enough so Aang could hear, hoping the rest of the citizens couldn't. Aang nodded with a grin, and Ashlynn sighed, seeing how despite his cheerful appearance, he was completely exhausted from being up so late the evening before.

"Ladies and gentlemen- I'm about to tell you what really happened, and I will prove it with facts! Fact number one!" Aang raised a single finger in the air for emphasis, but then paused during his speech, having forgotten all the evidence they'd discovered.

"Footprints!" Sokka muttered again loud enough for only Aang to hear.

"Good citizens! You see... I have very large feet..." Aang said, letting the argument fall flat. He gazed down at his feet, which were particularly tiny, and allowed the crowd to try and see his incorrect reasoning. Sokka smacked his palm against his forehead, and began to lose hope.

"Furthermore... Your temple matches your statue!" he exclaimed, and grinned in an attempt to convince the townsfolk. He, again, allowed a moment of silence for the citizens to gaze at the temple and then the statue. Ashlynn signed, and put her elbows on her knees and sat her head on her palms.

"And... I was in a painting at sunset! So, there you have it! I'm not guilty!" he said happily. "He's dead," Sokka whispered to Katara and Ashlynn and gave Aang a reassuring grin. Ashlynn raised her eyebrows, and nodded against the palms her head rested on.

"Alright, I have an idea," Katara said, and got up from her seat. Ashlynn and Sokka watched as she went up to Aang, and dragged him behind the temple so that the crowd could not see either of them. "What is she doing?" Ashlynn whispered to Sokka, and he shrugged. After several moments, Katara returned without Aang.

"Mayor, I'd like one last chance for the court to hear one last testimony," Katara announced to the mayor. "I already told you! It's only myself, and the accused! You can't call witnesses," he retorted angrily.

"This is just any witness... I'm going to call upon Avatar Kioshi herself!" Katara announced, and presented a figure who was walking from the temple. Ashlynn had to keep from laughing as Aang stumbled out wearing all of Kioshi's clothing, including the Kioshi Warrior make-up. Katara sat down next to Sokka and Ashlynn again, and waited for something to happen.

"What are you doing?" Sokka hissed. "This morning before the trial I had an idea, and thought if we really had to we could try and trigger something by making Aang wear her clothes. Something could happen," he whispered back.

Aang stood silently before the crowd, unsure of what to do. The murmuring in the crowd grew louder and louder as more time passed, until the Mayor was fed up and interrupted their incessant chattering.

"This is a mockery of Chin Law!" he complained. "Please, if you could wait one more second, I'm sure Kioshi will be here," Katara pleaded. The Mayor walked up to Aang, and grunted with disbelief and utter annoyance.

"This is ridiculous. For the murder of Chin the Great, this court finds the defendant... Guilty!" the Mayor announced defiantly.

Suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, a tornado formed around Aang. The tornado caused high-powered winds around the citizens, and everyone began to panic. Right before they all ran away, the winds died down, and the tornado dispersed. In Aang's place stood Avatar Kioshi.

"I killed Chin the Conqueror," she said loudly, and her voice dominated any sound in the area. Every person instantly felt shrimp-like in comparison to her tall and powerful being. Ashlynn felt honored, yet scared to be in the presence of Avatar Kioshi.

Kioshi then proceeded to tell the town about how Chin was a tyrant who was spreading his armies all over the continent. When he came to the land that she lived, he demanded the immediate surrender of her and her people. She refused to surrender, warning him that she would not be passive towards his ways. He didn't back down, however, and Kioshi responded by splitting her home from the mainland. She moved the small section of land far out to sea, and it became Kioshi Island. Chin ended up falling to his own death when the land separated.

When she finished her tale, the tornado returned for a moment, and Avatar Kioshi was swept away, leaving Aang as himself once again. Katara got up and ran to Aang before he could fully collapse as he entered reality once more. She then proceeded to explain to Aang what had happened.

"I find you guilty!" the Mayor shouted, and now there was no way for the town to prove Aang's innocence otherwise. A 'wheel of punishment' was brought out, and was to be used to determine Aang's method of punishment.

Aang took a deep breath, and hesitantly spun the wheel to see what his fate was. The crowd began to jeer and say what punishment they hoped he won, including Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara, who hoped he'd gain community service.

The suspense ended when the wheel stopped at a picture of a man in a steaming pot. "Looks to be boiled in oil," said a guard of the town. Aang froze with fear, and knew there was no way to escape his inevitable punishment.

The crowd cheered eager to see Aang dead. Ashlynn, Sokka, and Katara were frozen, just like Aang, completely unsure of what to do. Ashlynn drowned out the voices of the crowd, and waited for something, anything, to happen.

Suddenly, a single miniature bomb was placed into the middle of the area where Aang and the Mayor stood. The crowd stopped cheering, and stared at it dumbfounded. As expected, it went off with a boom, and everyone screamed and turned to see who was attacking them.

Ashlynn wasn't entirely surprised to see the men who'd assaulted their camp the day before. They were still mounted upon their rhinos, looking as menacing as ever. "We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord!" the leader shouted, and the citizens went into a panic.

"Now... Show me your leader so that I can... dethrone him..." he said with a sneer. A man in the crowd instantly pointed to the mayor. Being a coward, the mayor ran behind the wheel of punishment, and ordered Aang to do something about the attackers.

"Gee... I'd love to but... I'm about to be boiled in oil," he responded. Ashlynn, Katara, and Sokka remained idle, like Aang, knowing it wouldn't be fair for them to help a town that had already condemned them. The mayor, desperate to be saved, moved the wheel of punishment to community service, and ordered Aang to serve the community. Aang smiled, and nodded at his companions, who understood it was time to take out the enemy.

Ashlynn grasped her staff, which was laying beside her, and opened the wings of it. She jumped high into the air so she could get a view of the enemy, and decided to make the man with the flaming arrows her primary target, while her companions took out the others. With high speed and velocity, she sped back towards the ground, directing her blow at the man.

Sensing her, he turned his bow to her and quickly shot an arrow off. Ashlynn quickly brought the wings of her glider back into its hold, and swiped the staff about and sent a gust of wind at the arrow, causing it to bounce away like it had struck a wall.

Ashlynn then landed on the rump of the rhino before the man could set another arrow with the bow. He turned around and tried to thrust a knife into her leg, but she quickly jumped up and landed with one foot on his head. She then dropped her staff and pulled her sword from its sheath. She cut through the bow with one quick slice, preventing it from being useable again.

Then, before she lost her balance while standing upon his head, she jumped back onto the behind of the rhino, and used the hilt of the sword to strike her opponent in the gut. While he was stunned, she hopped off his steed, and cut through his stirrups. Then, she slapped the rhino on the flank, and watched it take its rider far away from sight.

Pleased with her performance, she re-sheathed her sword, and picked up her staff. She opened the wings once again, and began to soar over the town in search of her companions, who were disposing of the other rhino-riders.

Ashlynn spotted Katara and Sokka running out of an alleyway together. Ashlynn air bended her way to a soft landing beside them. "Are they gone?" Ashlynn asked, wondering if the rest had been disposed of. "Yeah, we're going to check on the citizens to make sure everyone's alright," Katara responded.

Ashlynn then noticed Sokka was almost cuddling with his boomerang. "You found it?" she asked, trying not to giggle. "You bet I did! It always does come back..." he said, and gazed at it like it was his own child. Ashlynn laughed, and followed them back to where the trial had taken place.

When they arrived there, they were more than happy to see that everyone was alright, meaning they'd managed to save the day once again. Aang arrived moments later, explaining how he'd taken out the leader of the attackers. The crowd cheered, and the Mayor seemed thoroughly pleased.

The remainder of the day was spent cleaning up the mess made in the town, and then in the evening they set off fireworks and made food in Aang's honor.

"We're going to celebrate a new Avatar day, in honor of Avatar Aang. Let us remember that this is the day that Aang was not boiled in oil," the mayor announced to the citizens, trying to speak louder than the exploding fireworks. The crowd cheered madly, and threw more fireworks into the sky.

Ashlynn could feel her own emerald eyes lighting up with different colors as various fireworks illuminated the nighttime sky. Fireworks were still something she treasured more than a lot of things, and when they were around she couldn't feel more at peace.

Afterall, fireworks reminded her of living in the Fire Nation. Remembering living in the Fire Nation reminded her of her long lost companion, Zuko...


	24. Book 2 Chapter 6

___**Disclaimer: **____I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished.___

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...__  
_

After several days of unbearable flight, Aang finally decided it was time to land Appa and resupply their necessary items. The team was getting low on food, and needed a new sleeping bag, since they'd lost one when they were attacked by the Rough Rhinos. So, Aang landed Appa outside of a large and busy city, and the team set to work.

"Who knows, maybe I'll find an earth bending teacher here," Aang said as they entered the bustling city. "That'd be great, but seems almost unlikely," Ashlynn responded as she eyed a shop filled with expensive clothing.

"I wouldn't say that, we could find one at any given moment," Katara reminded her, and Ashlynn shrugged.

When the kids departed from the food shop, their bags filled with an assortment of nuts, dried meat, and various makings for tea, a man approached them. Ashlynn eyed him warily, wondering what he could possibly want.

"Hey, you kids like earth bending? You like throwing' rocks? Then check out Master Yu's earth bending academy," he said with a confident grin, and handed each of them a card meant for advertisement. After he'd given them their cards, he ran off and vanished from sight.

"Hey... there's a coupon on the back, Aang. It says first lesson is free," Ashlynn told him, and Aang turned his card over and examined the coupon. "Hey, maybe this is the teacher you've been looking for Aang. We should go check it out," Katara suggested, examining the coupon too. "Sounds great!" Aang said with a grin, and then the companions walked off in the direction of the academy.

Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn waited outside the doors of the academy while Aang went in for his first lesson. People walked past them consistently, giving them curious yet rude glares and glances. Ashlynn glared back at some of them, but remained silent all the while.

"So... How do you think the lesson is going?" Katara said after several minutes of silence in an attempt to make conversation. Sokka and Ashlynn shrugged together, and continued eyeing the people. "Yeah, me too. I hope he will be willing to teach Aang though, since he's the Avatar and all," Katara said, and Sokka and Ashlynn nodded, still keeping silent. Katara frowned at the both of them, but perked up when Aang walked out the doors and approached them.

"How did it go?" Katara asked hopefully. Aang hesitated before answering, and then said "I don't think he's the one..." Katara frowned at this, but tried to maintain her optimism.

"I think the Boulder is going to win Earth Rumble 6 this year."

"Well he's going to have to fight through the world's best earth benders to even have a shot at the champion."

Ashlynn, Aang, Sokka, and Katara paused in their conversation to eavesdrop on two boys nearby, who were speaking about a sport containing earth bending. Aang found this most intriguing, since he wanted to be taught by the best earth bender he could find.

"Excuse me, but where is this earth bending tournament?" Aang asked interestedly, and ran over to the two boys. "Wouldn't you like to know?" they sneered, and kept on walking, leaving Aang in the dust. Aang's face sank with disappointment as he failed to summon the words to press them further for the information he inquired.

"Ashlynn, come with me. Us ladies can handle this," Katara said, and winked at Aang. Ashlynn grinned, and followed Katara as she ran after the two guys. "Hey strong guys, wait up!" Katara yelled after them as they turned a corner into an alleyway.

They turned around as Ashlynn and Katara turned the corner as well. They gave each other confused glances, but then smiled slyly at the two girls. Ashlynn put her hands on her hips and popped one hip to the side, maintaining a flirtatious stance. Katara crossed her arms across her chest and popped her hip too.

"Hey ladies, what're looking for?" one of the boys asked smoothly. "Oh, nothing really- just wondering where that Earth Rumble 6 is taking place; I just love watching guys fight so seriously," Katara said innocently, and released a dreamy sigh. "What about you?" the other boy said, and nodded his head in Ashlynn's direction.

"Pretty much the same," Ashlynn responded with a grin. "So you ladies want to go then? You could come with us, since we're going," one said, and eyed the other mischievously. He grinned, and said "Yeah, how 'bout it?"

"Aw, that's too bad... We were already looking to go with some people; we just don't know where it's at!" Katara responded helplessly. Ashlynn frowned, and said "Yeah, and since you guys know where it is, would you please tell us?"

"I don't think we should!" one of the boys laughed. Katara instantly dropped her act, and drew water from a barrel nearby, and force the two boys against the wall, making the water turn to ice so they'd stick. "Woah- Okay! It's an underground arena on the other side of town. Please, don't hurt us!" one said, and the other whimpered pathetically. "Thanks boys," Ashlynn said, winked at them, and ran out of the alleyway. Katara followed close behind her, not letting her captives free.

"You ready to find your trainer? Cause we're going to Earth Rumble 6!" Katara exclaimed happily to Aang, who was leaning with Sokka against wall. "How'd you get them to tell you?" Aang asked, bewildered.

"Oh, we have our ways," Ashlynn responded coolly, and her and Katara giggled together. Ashlynn thought she saw Sokka give her a slight glance filled with jealousy, but she ignored it for the moment.

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The team found the hidden tournament after a little while of searching. It was late at night, and the tournament had just begun. They filed one by one underground, and claimed front row seats, where no one else happened to be sitting. They soon found out why no one else was sitting there, as a massive boulder flew right in their direction and narrowly missed them, crushing the seats beside them. Ashlynn cried out in terror, and grasped Sokka's arm for protection. He laughed, and patted her sympathetically. "I swear if we die here..." Ashlynn said, releasing her grasp on Sokka while still shaking.

"Don't worry Ashlynn, I doubt anything will happen to us," Aang reassured her. She raised one eyebrow in disbelief, and then turned her gaze to the fighting arena before them. Currently, there were two men there. One was well toned, and had brown hair that was tied up above his head. He had plenty of facial hair though, to make up for his lack of hair on his head.

The other man was an overweight, fearsome man, who was missing plenty of teeth. The reason for this was probably because he continued to _eat_ rocks as he stared down the other man. He stomped one foot heavily upon the ground, causing the whole room to shake. Ashlynn shuddered, hoping the ceiling wouldn't cave in.

"Our first fight is The Boulder facing The Hippo!" yelled the host of Earth Rumble 6. The crowd cheered, and most chanted for The Boulder.

Almost effortlessly, The Boulder lifted The Hippo high into the air with a thick slab of stone, and thrust him out of the arena. Ashlynn screamed again as The Hippo's massive weight caused an enormous rumbling throughout the area. Dust and rock particles fell beside her, and she once again worried about the ceiling caving in.

"How about the Boulder? He seems pretty good," Katara suggested. "I don't know... Bumi said I had to find someone who waits and listens. He's just listening to his bug muscles," Aang responded hesitantly. Katara shrugged, and turned to watch the tournament some more.

The next man up was a man clad in red, waving about a flag with the fire nation symbol upon it. Everyone booed him, including Sokka, who cheered loudly for The Boulder.

"Everyone, please rise, and listen to the fire nation's national anthem! Fire Lord... My flame burns for thee!" he shouted to the crowd, and broke into song. Ashlynn grinned, and began to hum the rest of the national anthem. Sokka and Katara glared at her in disbelief, and she giggled in response.

Before the man of the fire nation could make a move, The Boulder sucked him right into the ground, and earth bended him right out of the ring. Ashlynn, who had finally freed herself of her paranoia, began to cheer with Sokka. They stood up together and insulted the fire nation man as he collided with the wall right beside them. Katara and Aang stared up at them, wondering how they could've become so riled up.

And so, the tournament went on, and The Boulder continued to win every round. Sokka and Ashlynn rooted for The Boulder each time, and booed all of his contestants. By the time the final round came about, however, Ashlynn was exhausted, and sat down to watch patiently with Aang and Katara. Sokka, on the other hand, continued to cheer.

"And now... the moment you've all been waiting for... The Boulder versus your champion, The Blind Bandit!" the host of the tournament shouted, and a small girl walked out into the arena, and held up her trophy, indicating she'd won the last Earth Rumble game.

"Wow... She looks so young. She can't be older than Aang, in a manner of speaking," Ashlynn said, staring at the girl, and wondered how she'd ever managed to win. "Yeah, she can't really be blind, can she?" Katara asked, thinking the same thing as Ashlynn.

"I think she is," Aang said, and everyone aside Sokka gasped at Aang's comment. "I think she is... Going down!" Sokka shouted, and cheered for The Boulder some more. Katara glared up at him, and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl," The Boulder said, trying to convey his emotions in third person. The girl grinned, and said "Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder." Ashlynn gaped at her, blown away by her bravery, despite her petite figure.

"The Boulder is no longer feeling conflicted, and is ready to take you down in a rockalanche!" he shouted, and went into a fighting stance. "Whenever you're ready, The Pebble!" the Blind Bandit responded, and released a loud and high-pitched laugh.

The Boulder growled, hesitated a moment, and then took a single step forward towards his opponent. She merely stood still, and waited. As he began to lift his other leg towards her, she moved forward sliding her feet upon the floor, and opened her arms as she waited some more. As his other foot came down upon the ground, she kicked one foot forward, and uprooted the ground in a single line. It stopped right where his foot landed, and he slipped upon the uprooted earth, and fell over. He cried out in agony as his legs split apart from each other.

The Blind Bandit then effortlessly cast one hand aside, and sent three horizontal pillars of earth at The Boulder, and threw him right out of the arena. Ashlynn gaped at her, admiring how flawlessly she'd defeated The Boulder, who had been the champion of the entire evening.

"Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!" the host cried out, and the girl grinned. Some of the crowd cheered, and some booed. Sokka cried in disappointment, and punched the wall behind him. Ashlynn couldn't help but smile at how animated he was.

The host of the tournament, who was a muscular man with long black hair, stepped out onto the ring to present the Blind Bandit's prize to her.

"How did she do that?" Katara pondered out loud. "She waited... And listened!" Aang exclaimed, and Ashlynn knew he wanted the Blind Bandit for a teacher.

"To make this more interesting, I'm offering this sack of coins to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit!" the host shouted, and held up a sack of coins. Aang instantly stood up, and volunteered. He walked onto the arena, and said "I will!" The host grinned, and went back to his seat as he awaited Aang and The Blind Bandit to fight.

"To people really want to see two little girls fighting up here?" The Blind Bandit threatened, showing off her tough disposition. "I don't really want to fight you, I want to talk to you," Aang responded calmly, and took a single step towards her.

Thinking that Aang had made a move to fight her, the girl cast a small earthquake in his direction, attempting to throw him up off the ground. However, being an air bender, Aang glided off the rock and floated behind her. When Aang touched the ground, the girl turned to face him and said "You're a little light on your feet."

She turned about, and cast another rock up from the ground in an attempt to throw him out of the arena. He glided behind her again, hovering in the air a little longer than before. When he landed, she turned around again and threw one massive rock in his direction. He rolled away from it, and sent a gust of wind at her. She cried out as she flew backwards and fell out of the ring.

Sokka and Katara cheered, but Ashlynn saw how Aang hadn't wanted to upset the girl. As the crowd cheered at him, he ran down the steps off the arena, and ran after the girl. Sokka, Katara, and Ashlynn walked out onto the stage to claim Aang's prize for him. Sokka snatched the belt, and Katara took the money. Aang, looking more disappointed than ever, re-entered the arena to present himself to the crowd.

Everyone cheered Aang on, amazed he'd managed to beat The Blind Bandit without even trying. Aang, however, wasn't glad at all. Ashlynn frowned, unsure of what to do.

"Come on. Let's go find a place to stay at, and then tomorrow we'll go ask around, see if we can find anything out about The Blind Bandit," Ashlynn said. Aang looked up at her, gave her a forced half-smile, and nodded. Together, the four friends left the tournament, and went to find an inn where they could sleep for the night.

"Ashlynn?"

"What?"

"Thanks."

Ashlynn groaned as Sokka woke her up with his whispering. He'd grown very fond of having late night conversations with her. She didn't mind, but she always felt more tired in the mornings, and since they'd already been up late watching the tournament, it was nearly unbearable for him to wake her up now.

"What are you thanking me for?" she whispered back, trying not to awaken Katara or Aang. "You made that tournament more fun for me by cheering with me and stuff. It was fun," he responded quietly. Ashlynn allowed a moment for silence, and then said "No problem. Go back to sleep."

Sokka remained silent after that. Ashlynn felt slightly guilty, but soon fell back into a deep slumber.

"If we want to find out more about The Blind Bandit, the academy is the best place to start," Aang said the following morning. His team followed him as he walked towards the academy, hoping to find out anything he could about the girl.

Ashlynn frowned with frustration as Sokka avoided her gaze for the third time that morning. She didn't think he'd take it too personally when she told him to go back to sleep, but he had. Things were more awkward than ever, and Ashlynn hated it. Their kiss remained so far in the back of Sokka's mind, it seemed, that he'd completely forgotten about it. Ashlynn sighed to herself, wondering if he'd ever bring it up.

"Oh great, it's you guys," came a familiar voice. The two boys Ashlynn and Katara had picked on were at the academy training. As much as the group disliked them, they were their best bet in finding out something about the Blind Bandit.

"Oh hey- You're the kid that beat the Blind Bandit," said one boy, and they both grinned together. They ceased to earth bend, and walked up to Aang to speak to him. "We need to talk to her. Do you know where she lives?" Aang asked hopefully.

"The Blind Bandit? Nah, she's a mystery. She shows up to fight, and then disappears. No one knows where she goes, or who she really is," he said, and Aang remained silent as he thought about the boys words.

"Oh, I'm asking about the wrong person. I once saw a girl in rich clothing with a pet flying boar. Know anyone like that?" Aang asked, and Ashlynn found it nearly foolish to reveal he'd had such a vision. Yet, the boys responded respectfully, saying "A flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family. They're the richest people in town."

"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter," said the other boy. "Well, that's good enough for me. Let's go," Aang said, and exited the academy. Sokka followed him, and Katara gave the ones one warning glance before following her brother. Ashlynn eyed the boys up and down, and turned around to follow Katara, leaving the boys behind.

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After an hour of search, the group finally got a lead on where the Bei Fong lived. Following the directions given to them by an elderly woman, they walked over to the house of the richest family in town. The house itself was huge, but it also had a massive courtyard and garden. It was heavily guarded, and the front door had the flying board etched into it.

"This has got to be the place," Aang said, gazing over into the gardens, unwilling to take the front door entrance. "I don't want to cause any trouble. I just want to find the girl, and get out," Aang said, and hopped over the wall into the gardens.

His companions followed hesitantly. Yet, right as each hit the floor- they were thrust right into the air. Ashlynn, thinking quickly, air-bended her way to soft ground before she could suffer any bruises. She turned about, and saw the Blind Bandit standing before Aang.

"What are you doing here, twinkle toes?" the girl asked, still facing Aang. "How did you know it was me?" Aang asked, and got up to face her.

Ignoring his question entirely, the girl asked "How did you find me?"

Katara got up and stood beside Aang. Much to Ashlynn's surprise, Sokka stood beside her, but still made no attempt to speak or look at her. Ashlynn wondered to herself whether or not he was standing beside her for comfort, or to protect her.

"Aang's the Avatar. He needs to master all four elements, and he needs an earth bending teacher. If he doesn't find one soon, he won't be able to defeat the fire lord," Katara explained, trying to take an appropriate approach in convincing the girl to teach Aang. "It's not my problem. Now get out of here, or I'll call the guards," she said defiantly, and began to walk away from Katara and Aang.

"Look, we all have a part to play in this war. Your part is to teach Aang earth bending," Sokka said, backing up his sister. The girl stopped in her tracks, turned around and cried out "Guards! Guards, help!"

Scared of what could happen to them, the group quickly climbed back over the wall and out of sight, just as two guards came to the Blind Bandits rescue.

"That was a close one," Ashlynn said, panting as she tried to catch her breath. "We're going to have to try a different approach. Let's try talking to her parents," Aang suggested. Katara nodded in agreement, and so they walked about the house to walk to the front door and greet the Blind Bandit's parents.

"What do you kids want?" asked a guard as they approached the door. "We want to speak to the Bei Fong's," Aang responded respectfully. "They don't allow random visitors to just barge in on them in the middle of the day. Come back another time," the guard retorted, and refused to budge.

"But you see, sir, I'm the Avatar, and it's very important I speak to them," Aang explained. The guard eyed him for a moment, and when he believed Aang was the Avatar, he went inside to seek permission to allow Aang and his friends inside.

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Eager and honored to have the Avatar visiting them, the Bei Fong family had a grand meal prepared for Aang and his companions. Aang sat across the table from their daughter, whose name they found to be Toph. Toph looked entirely stressed and frustrated that they'd come to visit her even more, and she could do nothing about it.

Ashlynn sat next to Sokka, who seemed to be forgetting the night before. They said a few words to one another, and Ashlynn was happy for the moment.

"Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you here," said the mother of Toph as the servants brought out their platters of food and bowls of soup. Ashlynn silently sipped the soup from her spoon as she listened to the conversation.

"In your opinion, how long do you think the war is going to last?" asked the father. "Well, I can't say for sure. I'd like for it to be over by the end of summer... But I can't do that without finding an earth bending teacher first," Aang said, and grinned across the table at Toph. She frowned at him, but said nothing.

"Well, Master Yu is the greatest earth bender in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was very young," master Bei Fong answered. Ashlynn looked over at Master Yu, who was sitting beside Toph's mother. Ashlynn assumed he spent a lot of time at the Bei Fong house.

"Wow, she must be a great earth bender then!" Aang exclaimed, and winked at Toph, who didn't find him humorous in the slightest. "Well, Toph is still learning the basics," Master Yu responded as he ate from his bowl of rice. Mimicking him, Ashlynn began to eat from her own bowl of rice.

"Yes... It's tragic. Because of her blindness, she'll never be able to become a true master," Toph's father said sadly, and refrained from eating his food as he took his daughter's situation into serious thought.

"Well, I'm sure she's better than you think," Aang said happily, and Toph continued to angrily glare at him. Aang frowned at her, and Master Bei Fong swapped his gaze between the two of them, wondering if there was more than meets the eye.

"Well... shall we move to the living room for dessert?" Mistress Bei Fong asked. The family stood up, and escorted Aang and his companions to the living room, hoping to reduce the amount of tension in the room.

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After dessert, the family and Master Yu went down to sleep, offering the living room as a sleeping place for Aang and his friends for the evening. They accepted his offer gratefully, and Aang politely bade them goodnight.

As the group sat down to talk, Toph entered the living room. Aang jumped, startled to see her. "Listen, let's call a truce. No more hostility, okay?" she asked. Aang nodded, and grinned at her.

"Come on, I want to show you something," Toph said, and left the living room. Aang turned back to look at Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn for permission. Katara was already fast asleep on the couch, and so Sokka and Ashlynn nodded their approval. Aang bowed to his friends, and left the room.

"If we're lucky, maybe Toph will agree to teach him," Sokka said to Ashlynn. Ashlynn looked over at him, and nodded. He stared at her for a moment, and then looked away.

"Listen... I'm sorry about last night," Ashlynn said, and blushed from embarrassment. She knew she'd been rude and foolish. "It's not that big of a deal, I just made it a big deal. I'm sorry too," Sokka said, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I just... Didn't think you'd take it so personally. I was just tired is all. If you want to talk, I'll talk," Ashlynn said, and smiled back. Sokka dropped his smile, and looked away from her. "I've been thinking..." he said, and paused.

"Thinking about what?" Ashlynn asked curiously. "About... About the incident in the cave," he responded, and still didn't look at her. Ashlynn blushed madly, but turned her face away from the light so he wouldn't see. "What about it?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"About if it meant anything, or if we just did it for our survival," he said, and Ashlynn thought she saw him blushing too. "Well, it was originally meant to get us out of there..." Ashlynn reminded him.

"Did it mean anything to you?" Sokka asked, and finally looked over at her. "I..." Ashlynn went to respond, but was interrupted.

"Come quick!" Master Yu said as he ran into the living. "What is it?" Katara yawned sleepily as she stirred from her slumber. "I heard a scream from the gardens, it sounded like Toph," he responded, and ran away. Toph's parents followed him a few moments later.

"Where's Aang?" Katara asked as she sat up, preparing to follow the Bei Fong's and Master Yu. "With Toph..." Ashlynn explained. Katara gasped, and ran after the adults. Ashlynn followed her, and Sokka trailed behind.

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There were two large imprints in the ground in a corner of the gardens, and a single knife with a note attached to it. "It seems they've been kidnapped, and whoever kidnapped them left this," Sokka explained, and unraveled the note.

"If you want to see your daughter again, bring 500 gold pieces to the arena. Signed Xin Fu and The Boulder," Katara said, reading the note out loud as Sokka held it. Toph's mother began to weep with worry, and the father turned to Master Yu.

"I need your help getting my daughter back," he told the earth bending master, and he nodded, vowing to get Toph back. "We're coming with you," Ashlynn said, knowing that they needed to rescue Aang too.

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"Toph!" cried Master Bei Fong as they entered the arena. Toph and Aang were suspended in the air, being held captive in metal cages. Xin Fu, the host of the tournament, and The Boulder stood beneath them, and turned around at the sound of Toph's father's voice.

"Here's your money, now let them go," Sokka demanded, and held a bag of coins forward. He set it down on the ground, and Master Yu bended it towards Xin Fu. He opened the bag, counted the coins, and allowed Toph to be brought down. Toph fell from the cage, and ran to her father.

"What about Aang?" Katara asked, and looked up at Aang's cage, which was still hanging in the air. "I think the Fire Nation will pay much more for the Avatar," Xin Fu said with a sneer. Ashlynn, Katara, and Sokka made a move to fight him and The Boulder, but halted when more earth benders entered the arena, defending Xin Fu.

The three friends were outmatched, and could not rescue Aang alone. Aang told them to go, and they hesitantly followed Toph and her parents.

"Toph! There's too many of them. We need an earth bender. No, we need you!" Katara shouted after Toph, refusing to leave the coliseum. "What? How dare you! My daughter is blind! She is blind, helpless and fragile. How could you dare to think she could help you?" Master Bei Fong said, grasping Toph's hand tightly.

"Because, I can help," Toph said, and pulled away from her father. He stared at her with disbelief as she walked away from him, and joined Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn.

"Alright, give him back! I've beat you all before and I can do it again!" Toph shouted as she walked up onto the arena. The earth benders were already carrying Aang away, but they stopped to face Toph. The Hippo, whom was carrying Aang's cage, tossed it aside as he and his companions prepared to fight Toph. Katara, Sokka, and Ashlynn went to run forward and help Toph, but she stopped them.

"Stay here... They're mine," she said, blocking their path. Katara and Sokka exchanged surprised looks, but Ashlynn had confidence in Toph. She nodded, and ran over to Aang's cage so she could work on breaking him out. Aang and Katara obediently followed her.

Sokka, Katara, and Ashlynn beat the locks on the cage with a large stone, trying to break it free so Aang would escape. Finally, after several minutes of consistent pounding, the lock came loose, and Aang crawled out from his cage. By then, Toph had already defeated most of the earth benders. All that remained was her, and Xin Fu.

Aang moved to help her, but Sokka stopped him. "She wants to do this herself," he explained. Aang considered this for a moment, and then patiently watched the battle.

Xin Fu instantly began to throw massive boulders at Toph, never ceasing to stop fire. He threw them over and over again, but she evaded them by creating a rock wall around her. When Xin Fu paused for a moment, she cast her own boulder at him. He jumped to avoid it, and then threw another boulder at her. While he was distracted, Toph dodged his attack and threw one giant rock at him that struck him head on and forced him out of the ring.

Amazed, Katara, Ashlynn, Aang, and Sokka went to congratulate her. Her father, on the other hand, was not amazed in the slightest, but rather disappointed. He said nothing to his daughter, but forced her to head home. The Avatar and his friends followed slowly.

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"Dad... I know it's hard for you to see me like this, but the helpless blind girl you think I am just isn't me. I love to fight, and I'm really good at it! I'm sorry I kept my life a secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the world. I know you were only trying to protect me, but I'm twelve and I've never had an actual friend!"

Ashlynn's emotions sank as she began to feel sorry for Toph. She was forced to confront her parents about her life, in front of the guards and Master Yu. She was brave for doing it, but Ashlynn knew she didn't want to. Ashlynn could sense the independence Toph craved for, and she wished she could have it.

"Now that you see how I truly am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me," Toph finished sadly, and looked at the floor. "Of course not Toph- In fact, it's made me realize something," her father said. Toph perked up at this, wondering what he could've realized.

"I've let you have far too much freedom! From now on you will be guarded and cared for twenty-four hours a day," her father commanded, forcing his parental superiority over her. "But dad!" Toph attempted to complain, but her mother shot her argument down, backing up her father entirely.

"Please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They're not longer welcome here," Toph's father demanded. A servant came into the room, and went to show the group to the front door. "I'm sorry, Toph," Aang said as he walked away from her.

"I'm sorry too, Aang..." she replied quietly, and a single tear fell down her cheek.

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Aang, Katara, Ashlynn, and Sokka began to pack their belongings and prepare Appa for another long flight in search of a new earth bending trainer for Aang. It was late at night, and Aang was furious, though he remained silent.

"Don't worry, Aang. There are lots of other earth benders out there. We'll find you a trainer," Katara reassured him. Aang said nothing, and hopped onto Appa's back, where Ashlynn and Sokka already awaited him. Katara sighed, and climbed up on top of Appa as well.

Just before Appa took off, they heard someone approaching them. The moonlight shone brightly upon the ground, revealing the person as Toph, who was running at Appa. She carried a pack with her, and was clad in traveler's clothes.

"Toph! What are you doing here?" Aang asked in awe. "My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world," she explained with a childish smile. Sokka smiled back at her, and said "Well we'd better get going before he changes his mind again."

"Good idea," she responded, and earth bended herself on top of Appa. "You're going to be a great teacher, Toph," Aang said, happier than ever.

With a 'yip-yip' Appa flew off into the night sky and each team member fell asleep, eager and excited for Aang to finally learn earth bending.


	25. Book 2 Chapter 7

___**Disclaimer: **____I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

_

* * *

_

"Ugh... I think Appa's shedding," Katara said with disgust and she pulled a clump of loose fur from Appa's thick leg.

"So what?" Ashlynn asked as she pulled another lump of fur from the beast and lightly tossed it on the ground. "It's so... gross..." Katara said, and brushed some fur off her dress.

"It's not that bad Katara. It's just a sign of spring; which is a good sign, a happy one!" Aang said cheerfully as he dismounted Appa. "Yeah. And besides, his fur makes the ground so soft! Makes for a better sleeping place," Toph announced as she, too, leapt from Appa's backside. Katara sighed, and couldn't help but smile and nod.

"Well my beds finished," Ashlynn said happily and turned to help stoke the fire. Aang and Sokka were continuing to set up their beds, and Katara was cooking food. That is, until she noticed Toph lazing around away from the campsite.

Katara eyed Toph warily, and then decided to go over and talk to her. Ashlynn couldn't hear what she was saying over the crackling flames of the fire, but assumed that Katara was attempting to get Toph to pull her own weight around. Ashlynn shook her head and laughed to herself, and began to help cook the food. After a few minutes Katara joined her, unsuccessful in her attempt to get Toph to do some work.

After dinner was cooked and consumed, everyone retired to their beds for the night, so that they'd be well rested the following morning.

* * *

"There's something coming toward us!"

Ashlynn groaned as she was suddenly awakened only a few hours after having fallen asleep. She rubbed her eyes, still half asleep, and sat up to look around. Toph had announced something was on its way, and the other companions were crowded around her, waiting for her to verify exactly what it was.

Ashlynn got up from her bed and ran over to them as well, stumbling slightly from drowsiness.

"It feels like an avalanche... But at the same time it... doesn't..." Toph frowned, unable to identify what it was. "So... Should we leave?" Katara pondered aloud. "I think that would be best," Aang said, and turned to quickly pack what he could.

Ashlynn turned and ran to her sleeping bag and rolled it up as quickly as she could. She ran over to Appa and tossed it into his saddle. She then lightly air-bended her way up into the saddle, and awaited her companions.

Shortly thereafter, Appa flew up and away from the site. Everyone turned to try and see what it was that had been coming towards them, but it was difficult to tell when it was so dark. All that was clearly visible was the pillar of smoking rising in the air. Frowning, each person turned around and awaited a new camping spot.

After a half an hour of flight, Aang landed Appa in another clearing. Toph instantly leapt from the saddle, and prepared to sleep upon the cold ground.

"Toph, could you help us unload?" Katara asked politely. Ashlynn sighed, as she knew that question would lead into a fight between the two girls.

"You need ME to help YOU?" Toph asked, sounding surprised.

Ashlynn groaned and quickly drowned out their bickering, along with Sokka and Aang. Sleepily, they unpacked what was necessary to unpack. By the time Katara had finished screaming at Toph a camp had been made.

Without any thanks, Katara clambered into her bag and didn't say a word. Thankful to be back in her bag, Ashlynn closed her eyes and imagined she was in a real bed near a cozy fireplace.

Just when she was on the verge of falling asleep, Katara began to yell at Toph again. "The stars sure look beautiful... Too bad you can't see them, Toph," she yelled. Then, a small rumble came from beneath the earth as Toph bended a rock over to Katara to kick her from her comfy place.

"Guys, stop it. We're all trying to sleep here and we can't with you guys fighting like this," Ashlynn groaned.

"That thing is back!" Toph cried out suddenly, and pointed in the direction it was coming from. Everyone looked to see the same pillar of smoke rising from behind the trees that surrounded them.

Reluctantly, the team packed up their bags once more and mounted Appa. Ashlynn hardly cared anymore, and curled up into a small ball within Appa's saddle and attempted to sleep.

"Seriously, what is that thing?" Ashlynn heard Katara say. "Yeah and how does it keep finding us?" Toph followed. "I don't know, but this time I'm going to make sure it doesn't follow us," Aang declared. Then, Ashlynn felt Appa begin to veer upward, indication Aang's intentions were to fly him up to a tall mountain.

Ashlynn quickly grew used to the upward feeling, and fell to sleep once more.

Ashlynn slowly re-awoke as she felt Appa land once more. She could hear her companions mumbling, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She kept her eyes closed, and stayed in her little ball, trying to fall back asleep.

However, after a few minutes of trying to fall asleep, she heard Aang exclaim loudly "No way, that's impossible!" Ashlynn groaned and sat up and looked towards the mountainside, where Aang and Sokka and Katara were looking at.

"Yeah, there's no way they could've followed us up here!" Sokka frowned.

"But they did, so let's get going," Katara commanded. "No, let's wait. Who knows, maybe they're friendly!" Aang suggested.

"I don't know Aang... They could be someone like Zuko," Ashlynn reminded him. Aang ignored her, and watched what appeared to be a motorized machine continue its climb up the mountain.

Suddenly, the machine came to a halt. Doors opened, and three women mounted upon something related to giant lizards departed from the tank. They lined up, and faced Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Toph stood nearest Appa, and Ashlynn remained in Appa's saddle. Even from where she was, Ashlynn could recognize all three women.

"It's those three girls from Omashu!" Katara announced when she realized who they were. "We can take 'em,"Toph declared. Ashlynn had her doubts, since they were irritated and half-asleep, but there was no changing their minds. She bended her way off Appa's saddle and follow Toph to the rest of the group.

When they got closer, Toph tried to knock them off the cliffside with some small earth bending. Yet, she was unsuccessful.

"You guys, there's no beating them right now, we better go," Ashlynn urged them. Without hesitation, everyone aside Toph turned around and mounted Appa once more. Toph quickly made a distraction to keep the women at bay for a few more seconds, and then joined her companions. Aang instantly flew Appa away from the fight scene.

"I still think we could've taken them," Toph frowned as Appa flew away. "Toph--- Two of them is bad enough, between flying daggers and lightning... But last time we fought them, one of them did something that took my bending away. That's scary," Katara argued.

Ashlynn moaned as Appa flew over a mountain and right into sunlight. "Oh no, the sun is rising... We've been up all night and haven't had any sleep!" Sokka whined, more desperate than ever to get some sleep.

"We'll be okay Sokka. If they keep finding us every time we land, then all we got to do is keep flying, right?" Katara questioned, and looked at Aang.

"I don't know Katara... Appa gets tired too," Ashlynn reminded her, and yawned sleepily.

"So... what do we do next?" Aang asked after several minutes. "Don't know. Too tired," Toph groaned and grasped onto the side of Appa's saddle.

Katara and Ashlynn were curled up on either side of Sokka, who was passed out on his back. Ashlynn and Katara were both too tired to bother moving into their own section of the saddle.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, again, Ashlynn was suddenly thrust into the air. She cried out in surprise and halted her ascension with bending, and watched as Appa began to fall downward. Ashlynn bended her way back to the group and helped her companions hold onto the saddle, while Aang tried to awaken his furry friend, whom had fallen asleep mid-flight.

Right before the screaming group crashed into the floor, Appa awoke, and broke his fall. He skidded to a stop next to a river, and fell asleep once again.

"Alright; we've put lots of distance between us and them. The plan is to get some sleep before they find us again," Sokka said as he was crawling back into his sleeping bag.

"Well, maybe we could've gotten some sleep earlier if Toph had helped set up," Katara spat as she set up her own bag. Ashlynn groaned and laid her bag next to Sokka, away from the bickering girls.

"You're blaming ME for this?" Ashlynn heard Toph scream. "Yeah, we could've set up earlier and gotten more sleep if you'd just helped!" Katara retorted.

"If anyone's to blame, it's HIM! Want to know how they keep finding us? He's shedding and leaving a trail behind us!" Toph said, and pointed at Appa.

"How dare you blame Appa? He's saved your life three times today! And besides, HE carried your weight; not you! You don't care about Appa at all! There was never a problem till you came along," Aang yelled angrily at Toph. Then, without a response, Toph slung her pack over one shoulder, and announced she was leaving, and walked out and away from sight.

"What did I just do! I yelled at my earth bending teacher... Now she's gone..." Aang cried out dramatically and collapsed on the floor. "We should find her and apologize. We were pretty mean--- Maybe she'll come back if we ask," Katara suggested and put a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder

"Maybe- But, what are we going to do about the tanks full of women who are chasing us?" Sokka inquired after taking a sip from his cup of water. Aang stood up and pull a tuft of fur from Appa's side and examined it thoughtfully. "I have a plan," he announced with a confident grin.

The next half hour was spent bathing Appa in the nearby lake. The fresh bath washed off all his loose fur, which was collected for Aang's new plan.

"Toph was right, Appa was leaving a trail behind us. But now he's clean, so there won't be a trail," Aang said once Appa had been fully washed.

"Are you sure he can fly?" Ashlynn asked curiously, a little worried about Aang's furry companion. "He'll be fine, as long as we leave our stuff and his saddle here. Less stuff for him to carry, you know?" Aang explained.

"So, what exactly is the plan here, then?" Sokka asked.

"I'm going to use Appa's fur to make a fake trail to lead the tanks off course. Katara and Sokka, you two fly Appa to a safe place and Ashlynn and I will catch up to you both later. I want Ashlynn to help me out, since she has a glider and can fly like I can," Aang explained with ease. Ashlynn nodded, and lifted her staff from the ground.

Sokka and Katara climbed up on top of Appa, and flew off over the tops of the trees. Ashlynn frowned as Appa, still half asleep, crashed into the tops of some trees. She relaxed a little as he continued flying away, and thought nothing of the broken tree tops.

Aang handed Ashlynn her own bag of Appa's fur, and ordered her to follow closely behind him. Ashlynn wrapped the back around her waist, and opened her glider and prepared for flight. Aang bended his way high up in the air, and Ashlynn quickly followed, making sure fur fell from the bag with every distance they covered.

They flew for close to fifteen minutes before a small town came into view. Aang pointed at it, and Ashlynn nodded, agreeing that it'd be the best place to end the trail, especially since it was an abandoned town. Aang and Ashlynn landed lightly at the foot of the town and looked around.

"This place is a disaster. I'm almost out of fur," Ashlynn told Aang as they slowly paced through the center road of the town. "Me too; I'm going to go to the edge of the town, and wait for them to come here," Aang said sleepily with a yawn. "You mean to face them?" Ashlynn asked, slightly surprised. Aang nodded in response.

When their bags ran short of fur, they dumped the spare pieces into a small pile. Aang and Ashlynn sat down to await the arrival of Azula and her friends. They exchanged no words, too tired to think of ways to spark a momentary conversation.

As the sun got lower in the sky, a single figure appeared upon the horizon. Ashlynn knew it was Azula, and she wasn't all too worried about it. What worried her was that Mai and Ty Lee weren't with her, which meant they'd pursued Sokka and Katara.

Azula halted when she was several yards away from Ashlynn and Aang. She leapt off her lizard, and stared across at them without saying a word. "Alright, you've caught up with us. Now who are you, and what do you want?" Aang demanded to know, impatient as can be.

"So you haven't guessed yet? I'm surprise she hasn't told you," Azula laughed, and pointed a single finger at Ashlynn. Aang said nothing. "So it's really not obvious? Let me give you a hint…" she said, and placed a single hand over one eye. She deepened her voice and said "I must capture the Avatar to restore my honor."

Ashlynn bit back an insult, wishing to defend her old friend. But she knew better than to throw insults at Azula. Aang stared at his enemy, still as silent as ever.

"And now, it's over. I've got you cornered. You're tired, and you've got no place left to hide. You both can run, but I'll catch you," Azula threatened. Aang stood up and held his glider out before him in an offensive stance. Ashlynn followed his movements. "We're not running," Aang said defiantly. Azula smirked in response, and held her hands out before her.

"Do you really want to fight me?" Azula laughed over-confident of her abilities. Suddenly, a bird-like mount entered the area in-between Aang and Azula. "Yes, I do," came a familiar voice. Ashlynn's heart nearly melted at the sound of her lost companion's voice.

Zuko leapt from his mount and faced Azula, ignoring Aang and Ashlynn entirely. "Zuko?" Aang gasped, a little surprised to see him there. The last time he and Ashlynn had seen him was at the northern water tribe. Ashlynn had half expected him to have given up his search, or worse.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Azula spat in annoyance. "Back off Azula- The Avatar is mine!" Zuko demanded. Azula conjured a small flame, and said "I'm not going anywhere."

A moment of silence was cast between the four of them, each waiting in anticipation to see who'd make the first offensive move. Zuko kept one hand in front of him, pointed at Azula, and one hand behind him, pointed at Aang. Aang and Ashlynn both kept their gliders in front of them, held like a sword. Ashlynn wondered to herself if Zuko had put two and two together and realized a glider was only used by air-benders. Azula kept her hands in front of her, preparing to strike out at Zuko.

After a few more moments of anticipation, Azula cast a single massive flame at Zuko. It took Zuko by surprise, and he blocked it with his own flame. However, the force was enough to send him flying into the nearest wooden building.

"Ashlynn, run!" Aang cried out, and he turned around and opened his glider and took off into the air. Ashlynn stared in shock at where Zuko's body lay motionless across the town, and she had the urge to run over to him. She gasped when she saw a large blue flame shoot across the main pathway in her direction. Just in time, Ashlynn swiped at the air before her with her glider, casting some of the flame away from her and sending her flying backwards into the building behind her, safely away from the harmful fire.

Ashlynn shook her head and tried to clear her vision. When she looked upon the central roadway once more, she saw that Aang had landed, and that Zuko was on his feet again. Orange and blue fireballs were being cast in every direction, and Aang was just barely avoiding them all, trying to distract Zuko and his sister.

Ashlynn stood up and quickly ran to help. Aang, not wanting her to get caught in the middle of it, guided both the fire benders up a pair of stairs and into a second floor of a nearby building. Ashlynn, desperate to help her friend, followed them both. She bumped right into Azula, and knocked her over the side of the floorboards, which were destroyed, leaving a gap to fall into the first floor, where Zuko was already. Aang was floating on a ball of air on the other side of the room. He smiled at Ashlynn, appreciative that she'd so luckily maintained the upper hand in that situation.

Together, they both ran out of the room back into the main road of the town. Zuko suddenly burst through a wall, and it took Ashlynn a moment to realize that Azula had been the one to cast him through the building. Ashlynn felt a moment of panic when she realized Zuko was unconscious. That worry turned to instant fear when Azula burst through the wall as well, and faced Aang and Ashlynn with her hands ablaze with blue flame.

She shot a single flame at them both. Ashlynn rolled to the side, but Aang faced the fire head on. He tried to block it with a shield of air, but the force sent him flying into another building that hadn't been destroyed yet. That is, until he crashed into it. The ceiling fell down upon him, and he was momentarily trapped. Azula approached him, threateningly.

Ashlynn felt relief when she saw Appa land with Sokka and Katara. "He's in there!" Ashlynn said, trying to rid herself of her momentary vertigo. Katara nodded, and quickly ran into the room where Aang was seconds from being harmed by Azula.

Ashlynn followed Katara, but narrowly dodged another blue flame as Azula turned on Katara and shot at her through the doorway. Katara and Ashlynn both ran out of the room into the town, where there was more space for maneuvering. As Azula pursued them, Sokka cast his boomerang at her, catching her off guard. Her reflexes were no match for him, however, and she bent backwards and avoided the weapon.

Aang left the room as well, and joined his companions who were beginning to corner Azula. Ashlynn had also become aware of Iroh, who was attempting to stir Zuko, who was still unconscious.

Just as Azula prepared to cast an arch of fire at the four companions, the ground beneath her feet moved, and she fell to the side, confused and shocked. Behind her, Toph stood with a grin on her face. "I thought you guys could use a little help," she said happily. "Thanks, Toph," Katara responded.

Azula turned and ran down an alleyway, away from the five friends who were determinedly chasing her. But before she could get very far, Iroh appeared before her, and shoved her towards a wall. Zuko came up next to his uncle. Together, the seven of them backed Azula into a corner, where she'd have no choice but to surrender.

"Aw, look at this- Enemies and traitors, all working together. Alright, you win. I'm done. A princess surrenders with honor," Azula said with dignity.

Some of them relaxed for a moment, including Iroh. But during that single moment of Iroh's momentary distraction, Azula cast a flame at him, taking full advantage of the sudden opportunity. The fire hit Iroh head-on, and he twisted around and fell over, unconscious. Zuko cried out in horror, and Ashlynn gasped, fearing the worst.

In Iroh's defense, Ashlynn, Aang, Katara, Zuko, and Toph all bended a straight line of each of their element at Azula. Ashlynn felt Zuko's shocked eyes slowly fixate upon her, taking in the full realization of the fact that she was an air-bender. But, that moment was lost as there was a massive explosion, and dark smoke filled the immediate area.

When the smoke cleared, Ashlynn saw Azula was gone. Zuko had gone to be by his uncle's side. He raised his fists and let out a cry of fury and frustration. Ashlynn and her companions slowly approached Zuko and Iroh.

"Get away from us!" Zuko screamed at every one of them, and eyed Ashlynn with anger and hurt. Ashlynn felt her eyes water as she felt the fury and sadness radiate off of Zuko.

"Zuko, I can help!" Katara pleaded.

Zuko quivered, and then cast an arch of fire at them all and cried "Leave!" Everyone but Ashlynn ducked, and she stifled a cry as the flame licked her arm and left the skin raw.

"Ash!" Sokka stammered, and ran to see if she was okay. "I'm okay," Ashlynn reassured him, although she shook and it made her voice quiver.

"Listen you guys, go on without me. I'm going to stay here, I'll catch up with you," Ashlynn said to her companions. "Are you sure? That burn could get nasty. Maybe I should heal it," Katara said. "I'll be fine, I promise. Go on guys. I'll catch up to you," she said, and gave them a reassuring smile.

Each of them nodded, and Sokka gave her a tight hug. He joined his friends as they climbed up on top of Appa. A tear ran down Ashlynn's face as she watched Appa fly off into the distance. She looked down at the burn on her arm, but gave it little thought as she looked down at Zuko, who still sat by Iroh's side.

She inhaled deeply, and prepared to explain herself to her closest friend.


	26. Book 2 Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_  
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

* * *

"Get out of my face, Ashlynn," Zuko spat as he tried to lift Iroh's body over one shoulder to take him inside a building. Ashlynn, continuing to ignore the serious burn on her arm, walked to Zuko's side and tried to help lift his Uncle.

"Get your hands off him, traitor!" Zuko shouted at her. Ashlynn flinched and let go of Iroh instantly, involuntarily. "Let me help, please," she pleaded a moment after. Zuko ignored her, and flung Iroh over one shoulder. He slouched to reduce the strain on his back, and moved towards the nearest building that was still intact.

Ashlynn grasped her glider firmly, and slowly trailed behind him.

Zuko entered the abandoned house, and laid his uncle on the floor. Iroh was still in a deep sleep, and Ashlynn began to worry he wouldn't wake up. Given his age, the odds didn't seem too great. But she couldn't tell Zuko that; she had to be optimistic, for the sake of whatever was left of his sanity.

"He'll be okay," Ashlynn reassured him. She set her bag down in a corner of the room. Katara had handed it to her before she took off with the rest of the team, and for that, Ashlynn was grateful. She pulled a small blanket from the inside of the bag, and cast it over Iroh's sleeping body.

Ashlynn frowned as Zuko said nothing and left the run-down abode. She looked back at Iroh, and sighed before finally looking down at the burn on her arm.

The skin was bright pink, and parts looked like they were blistering. It was painful, but she maintained a level of tolerance towards it. She grasped her bag and pulled out linen cloth, and wrapped a bandage around her arm. She hissed when the cloth touched the burn, and choked at the thought of it sticking. She didn't want to have to take it off later.

"Here, allow me," Ashlynn heard Zuko say. She turned around and saw him carrying a bundle of wood, which he set down next to her bag. She then fell to his knees beside her, and took hold of the bundle of cloth. Ashlynn nodded, and held her arm out for him. He gently wrapped the cloth around her arm, until there was enough padding to allow comfortable healing, disallowing the possibility of her scraping it against something.

"Thanks," Ashlynn said and gave Zuko a small smile. He said nothing, and avoided her gaze as he picked up the bundle of wood again. He went to another corner of the room, and began to create a small fire in a portion of the room that was away from the wooden walls.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them as Zuko proceeded to place a small pot over the small flame, and then carried on to make his uncle some tea. Ashlynn smiled, admiring Zuko's compassion for his uncle, whether he ever showed it or not. "So you agree, you believe he'll be okay?" Ashlynn asked softly. Zuko continued to say nothing. Ashlynn's heart sank, and she leaned against a wall and refrained from saying anything else.

About a half an hour later, a groan from Iroh was heard. Zuko jumped up from where he sat, and quickly crawled to his uncle's side. Ashlynn eyed him curiously, but remained where she sat.

"Uncle?" Zuko pondered allowed, worriedly. Iroh groaned again as he began to stir. "You were unconscious. Azula did this to you," Zuko explained as his uncle sat up.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Iroh chuckled, and leaned against the wall behind him. Zuko turned around and poured a cup of tea for his uncle. "Here, I hope I made it the way you like it," Zuko asked as he handed the warm cup to Iroh. Iroh drank it, choked on it once, but finished it regardless.

"That was... Err, bracing," Iroh exclaimed as he handed the cup back to his nephew.

"Uncle, I need to talk to you. I've been thinking; it's only a matter of time before I bump into Azula again. When I do, I need to be prepared. I need to know more advanced fire-bending," Zuko said calmly as he handed his uncle another cup of tea. Iroh took it graciously, and drank from it slowly, taking in Zuko's words. Ashlynn continued to survey the scene, saying nothing. It was almost as if she were a part of the wall.

"I know what you're going to say. I know you're thinking 'she's my sister, and I need to get along with her', but---"Zuko said, until Iroh interrupted him.

"No, you're right. She needs to be taken down. You're right- We need to resume your training," Iroh said as he steadily stood up, and handed Zuko the empty cup. Zuko nodded in appreciation, and stood up as well.

"I'm just not sure what to do about her," Zuko said, annoyance hinting through his voice. He waved a hand in Ashlynn's direction, but refused to look at her. Iroh turned to look where Zuko had waved his hand, and seemed slightly alarmed.

"Oh, Ashlynn! What a pleasure it is to have you here, although it is a surprise," Iroh said, and grinned at her. Ashlynn stood up and smiled at Iroh, and she bowed to him respectfully. "Seeing you with us again is the last thing I expected. But you are welcome, regardless," Iroh said, and bowed back.

"How can you say that, uncle? She's a traitor of the entire fire nation. She doesn't belong with us," Zuko spat, angrier than before.

"Zuko, silence. We're traitors too, remember? You were banished, and I left with you. Don't be so quick to judge someone such as Ashlynn, who has never shown anything other than a kind and true heart," Iroh said solemnly, and Zuko frowned but didn't fight back.

"I had to stay. I had to make sure you... The both of you were going to be okay," Ashlynn stated firmly. Iroh smiled happily, and nodded at her. "What happened to your arm?" he inquired as he saw the taut bandage. "Oh, it's nothing; just got caught in the middle of the battle, is all," she reassured him. He nodded respectfully, and turned back to Zuko.

"Come, let us make another pot of tea, and I will teach you one of the most advanced forms of fire bending," Iroh said. Zuko nodded, and went to clean the old pot of tea he'd made.

"What shall I do, Iroh?" Ashlynn asked as Zuko left the hut. "Wait here with us. It may not show, and you may not believe it, but you give off such a calming vibe, and it affects Zuko more than anyone I've seen. We'll need that during the training, even if you're simply standing off to the side," Iroh explained. Ashlynn nodded, understanding.

Just then, Zuko entered the abode once more, with the tea-pot fully cleaned. He handed it to his uncle, and allowed Iroh to make the tea this time, since he was far more knowledgeable on the brewing of desirable teas.

When the tea was finish, Iroh quietly poured a cup for himself, Zuko, and Ashlynn. Ashlynn sat with them both around the small fireplace, and sipped the tea from her cup slowly, without saying a single word between sips.

Iroh was the first to speak. "It's time I taught you about lightning." Zuko's eyes widened at the mention of such a thing. Lightning was a very advanced and very dangerous fire bending technique. Only those who had mastered the element could wield such a power without so much worry- and even then, their lives were still at risk.

"Lightning is a pure expression of fire bending. It isn't fueled the same way other fire bending is. Some call lightning 'cold-blooded fire'. It's precise, and it is deadly. To perform the technique, you must have peace of mind," Iroh explained as he refilled the empty cups with tea. Zuko gazed from his cup of tea to his uncle, thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, Zuko spoke.

"So that's why we're drinking tea, right? It calms the mind."

Iroh chuckled, and nodded in response to his nephew. Iroh then proceeded to finish his cup of tea, and allowed Ashlynn and Zuko to finish theirs. When they'd consumed the rest of their beverage, Iroh stood up. "Follow me, both of you," he ordered. Without question, Zuko and Ashlynn both stood up. Iroh exited the house. Zuko shoved past Ashlynn, and paced ahead of her quickly, and walked by his uncle's side. Ashlynn trailed slowly behind, continuing to be an outside person viewing in.

"There is energy all around us," Iroh said.

Iroh had led Zuko and Ashlynn to the outskirts of the town. Ashlynn sat against a nearby tree, though its lack of leaves provided no shade from the blazing sun. She could feel her fair skin absorbing the heat, and she expected her skin to slowly turn darker. Sweat began to form all about her body, and it caused her hair to stick to her face. But she didn't care; whatever it took to help Zuko, she'd do it. If that meant sitting yards away surveying his fire-bending training, just like old times, then she'd do it.

"There is positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few fire benders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in the moment the positive energy and negative energy come pressing back together you provide release and guidance. This creates lightning," Iroh explained. Zuko listened intently, while Ashlynn took note on a few select words. She was far more focused on how Zuko was doing.

Zuko's skin was fairer, which surprised Ashlynn. She imagined that if he'd spent the past number of days in the desert, he wouldn't be so pale. Yet, he was. She also finally noticed that his hair was shorter, and that his ponytail had been entirely removed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him without his hair up, if there ever was a time.

His muscles were toned, although he was as skinny as ever. She wondered how much he'd eaten in the past number of weeks since she'd last seen him, and she guessed it wasn't much. She had the urge to go hunt him enough food to make a feast, but she knew food in the desert- especially an abandoned one- was scarce.

Ashlynn's attention was drawn to Iroh as he motioned for Zuko to step back. Zuko did so as Iroh drew his arms about him. With two fingers, he effortlessly drew upon lightning, and guided it about him. Zuko stared at his uncle in awe, and looked even more excited as Iroh cast the lightning into the sky, and allowed it to escape his fingertips.

"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko cried eagerly. Ashlynn warily stood up, preparing to rush to Zuko's side if something drastic occurred.

"Remember, once you separate the energy you do not command it. You are only its guide. Breath first," Iroh said, and he took a step back from Zuko. Ashlynn paced next to Iroh's side, and watched as Zuko inhaled deeply.

With his back facing them, Zuko began to perform the same movement his uncle had. Iroh watched intently, and Ashlynn could sense the doubt he had. Lightning was a difficult thing to master, and even Ashlynn knew Zuko's chances of getting it on his first try were highly unlikely.

Finally, Zuko thrust his arms before him, attempting to direct lightning out before him. Instead, it backfired. There was a small explosion, and Zuko was sent flying back towards Iroh and Ashlynn. He landed on his bottom right before Ashlynn, and the remaining force pushed his whole weight backwards so that he was sprawled upon his back, and had hit his head fairly hard.

Ashlynn dropped to her knees instinctively and tried to lift Zuko's head into her lap and try to help him clear his vision. Zuko groaned, and Ashlynn looked up at Iroh. Iroh simply shook his head, and then walked back towards the town. Zuko groaned again, and Ashlynn looked back down at him.

"Shh, it's okay," she soothed, and ran a hand through Zuko's hair. She assumed this is what Iroh had meant about keeping Zuko calm, though she was not positive as to whether it'd work or not. But she trusted Iroh, and so continued to try and make it better for Zuko.

Zuko opened his eyes, and blinked a few times. He fixated his eyes upon Ashlynn's face, and for a moment it seemed as if he wanted to lie there with her for a time, and forget about everything else. But that moment of compassion vanished suddenly as he sat up and pushed himself away from Ashlynn. "Don't touch me," he spat at her, and stood up and tried to maintain balance.

Refusing to give up so easily, Ashlynn stood up and tried to support Zuko. However, Zuko turned around and shoved Ashlynn, and yelled "I said don't touch me!"

Ashlynn stumbled two steps back, and then shook her head disappointedly. She trailed past Zuko, and went to join Iroh, whom sat beneath the nearby dead tree. Together, they watched as Zuko tried several more times to create lightning, all with the same result as his first.

"Why can't I do it?" Zuko cried out in rage after his sixth failed attempt to create lightning. He turned to look at Iroh for answers. "Instead of creating lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does," he said, and his voice quivered as he looked away from his uncle.

Iroh sighed and stood up, and began to walk towards his nephew. "I was afraid this would happen," Iroh said as he halted by Zuko's side. Zuko looked at him desperately, desiring answers more than anything. Ashlynn thought he looked far too helpless, and she wished there was something she could do.

"You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with turmoil within yourself," Iroh explained calmly. "What turmoil?" Zuko screamed at Iroh, impatient as ever.

"Zuko… You must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away," Iroh told his nephew. Zuko stared back at his uncle in bewilderment. "But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!" Zuko argued, and looked away from Iroh.

"Prince Zuko… Pride is not the opposite of shame, it's its source. Humility is the only antidote to shame," Iroh sighed, wishing Zuko would understand, and learn how to differentiate between the two. Zuko bit back a retort, and looked away from Iroh, ashamed.

"Listen; I have another idea. I'll teach you a fire bending move even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself!" Iroh exclaimed, wanting more than anything to cheer Zuko up. Ashlynn found Iroh's love for his nephew to be very gentle, and very touching, and she admired it.

She especially admired it when it shone through Zuko's heart, and he'd produce a smile, as he did then. He turned back around, and gave his uncle a grateful smile that reminded Ashlynn of the way he smiled when he was a lot younger.

Ashlynn decided to join in on Iroh's 'teaching lesson' for the afternoon. She sat down beside Zuko, who, for once, had no objections. Together, they stared up at Iroh, whom had a stick in one hand that he'd broken off from the lone tree.

"Fire is the element of power," Iroh began, and he started to draw the symbol of the fire element in the sand before him. "Earth is the element of substance. The people of the earth kingdom are diverse and strong. They're persistent and enduring," Iroh said as he drew the symbol for earth. Ashlynn and Zuko watched him carve the symbols into the ground patiently.

"Air is the element of freedom. The air nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns. Through this, they found peace and freedom," Iroh explained, and drew the air symbol. Ashlynn felt Zuko flinch at the mention of the air element, and she suspected it was because she was an air bender. Iroh frowned at Zuko, but made no comment about it.

"Water is the element of change. The people of the water tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything," Iroh finished as he drew the final symbol.

"Why are you telling me this? How does this help me?" Zuko pondered aloud, and stared up at Iroh. "It's very important to draw wisdom from all different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid. Understanding others and the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole," Iroh explained as he drew in the sand to further better his demonstration.

"All the talk of the four elements sounds like a bunch of avatar stuff," Zuko said, and emphasized the word 'avatar' with a small glance in Ashlynn's direction. Ashlynn calmly continued to stare at the drawings before her, and ignored Zuko's rudeness. "Well, it is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar as powerful as he is. But, it can make you more powerful too! You see- The technique I am about to show you- I learned from studying the water benders," Iroh said to Zuko.

Zuko stood up, more eager to learn now that he fully understood what Iroh was trying to teach him. Ashlynn stood up as well, and retreated to her lonesome tree once more.

"Water benders deal with the flow of energy. A water bender makes their defense become their offense. They turn their opponent's energy against them. I learned the way to do this with lightning," Iroh explained as he showed Zuko the movement of the next move.

The sun was low in the sky, and everything had an orange glow to it. Even Ashlynn's red hair looked more vibrant than usual. It wasn't as hot, and for that she was thankful. Though she'd lived in the fire nation all her life, she'd never been in a place hotter than the desert she was in now.

"You can teach me how to redirect lightning?!" Zuko exclaimed with shock. Iroh nodded calmly in response.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, and then down into your stomach. The stomach is the source of energy. Then, from the stomach, you direct it up again and out the other arm," Iroh explained, and demonstrated the proper arm movement and located all the vital points within the body that was used to redirect lightning.

"Now, you must not let the lightning pass through your heart. There, the damage could be deadly," Iroh said as he pointed at Zuko's heart. Then, Iroh took a stance, and Zuko followed, and Iroh began to teach Zuko the proper physical movement for redirecting lightning.

"Excellent! I think you've got it," Iroh said happily after a half hour of stance training. The sun was just below the tips of the mountain tops, and a few stars were beginning to peek out through the dark blanket above them.

"Good. I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" Zuko exclaimed eagerly, almost like a child eager to hold his first sword. "What? You can't be serious- lightning is very dangerous," Iroh retorted, surprised at Zuko's sudden desire to have lightning shot at him.

"I thought that was the point! You teaching me how to protect myself from it!" Zuko shouted back. "Well, yeah, but I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh cried out in response, utterly distressed. Iroh walked past Zuko, contemplative. The clouds upon the horizon began to rumble, indicating that a storm was moving in. Zuko thought for a moment before saying "Well if you won't help me, then I'll find my own lightning."

Zuko ran back to town to fetch his mount. Ashlynn stood up quickly, instantly ready to follow him. She began to run after him but Iroh stopped her.

"Ashlynn, wait. This is something Zuko must work out on his own," Iroh yelled after her. Ashlynn halted instantly, although reluctantly. She turned around to face Iroh, curious as to why he'd object to her chasing after Zuko. Earlier in the day that's exactly what Iroh wanted.

Iroh walked up to her and placed a hand on one of her shoulders. "You can't stay here. Zuko needs your help and your company, but now is not the time. There will be a better time for that," Iroh explained to her, and shook his head dejectedly. "What, so you want me to just pack up and leave? It's nearly night time," Ashlynn protested.

"No, not quite yet. Zuko is gone for now, and so I must take this moment to explain some things to you. I know you must have many questions, and I can provide some answers. Come, let me make us a small fire and a pot of tea," Iroh said, and walked past Ashlynn. Although confused, Ashlynn followed Iroh.

Night time had completely shrouded the sky around them, and the small fireplace before them was their only source of light. Ashlynn sipped her tea, and remained silent as she waited for Iroh to speak.

After a few sips of his own tea, Iroh finally broke the silence.

"I imagine you have curiosities as to where you came from, because it's obvious you're not from the fire nation," Iroh said solemnly. "What, you can tell me where I am from? Really" Ashlynn inquired, more curious than ever. Iroh nodded in response.

"Please, then, continue. I'd like to know," Ashlynn said.

"Back before my son died, I was fighting a war in Ba Sing Se. I was trying to take it in the name of the fire nation. My men and I were ruthless to its people. Some we slaughtered, others were taken as slaves. We never stopped to think about whom they were and what we were doing to their lives. We just killed and enslaved countless numbers of refugees," Iroh said, and paused to take a long drink of his tea. Ashlynn remained silent.

"One day, a woman managed to break through my main guard. How, I haven't the slightest recollection. I just recall this woman… Her hair was fiery red, and she looked like she belonged to the fire nation. Yet, she was an earth kingdom refugee. Her clothes were tattered, blood stained her skin. One of my men grasped her arm, and held his blade to her neck. I nearly let him kill her. But she uttered a single word that made me stop him," Iroh said, and took another sip of his tea.

"What was it? What did she say?" Ashlynn questioned hastily.

"She asked 'please, please.' I ordered the guard to lower his sword, interested in exactly what she wanted. She drew her arms out from behind her, and in one hand she held the hand of a small child that had been hiding behind her. She pulled the child out in front of her and kneeled down behind her. The child looked so small, so helpless, and so innocent. She was the spitting image of the beautiful, young woman before me. I felt conflicted when the woman pushed her towards me," Iroh said as he closed his eyes and sipped some more tea.

Again, Ashlynn remained silent as she waited for him to continue his tale.

"The young woman begged me 'Please, spare this child. Take this child. She's too young to know war; she's too young to know death or slavery. This child is special; she deserves to be saved. Please, your honor, spare her life. Take mine if you please, but don't let this child die'," Iroh explained.

"That child was me, wasn't it?" Ashlynn asked, beginning to understand. Iroh nodded in response. "What happened then?" Ashlynn asked eager to know what happened to the young woman.

"I was reluctant at first, but the child was so young. I couldn't abandon her. I nodded, and took the child's hand and had my men escort the woman away. What they did with her, I know not, though I suspect she was either killed or put into slavery," Iroh finished. Ashlynn felt her face drop, her anticipation running dry.

After several moments of silence Ashlynn spoke. "You didn't seem surprised when I told you I was an air bender. Why not?"

"Ashlynn, I suppose it's important I tell you… That young woman in Ba Sing Se, she was your mother. Though how I came across this is most interesting. As my men dragged her away, I noticed something. Beneath her tattered clothing, the blood stains on her arms, and the dirt on her feet I saw faint traces of blue. I had laughed it off at the time, dismissing any ideas that she could be an air nomad. After all, they were extinct; we'd wiped them out. The child showed no trace of arrows upon her body, either. Still, my curiosity got the better of me eventually," Iroh explained.

"What next, then? Where did your curiosity take you?" Ashlynn inquired, growing more and more intrigued.

"I was going to adopt you as my own, you know. I sent you back to my brother for him to watch over until I got back from the war. But weeks later my son died. Gripped by grief, I couldn't bear to replace my son. Fire Lord Oazi took you in permanently, instead, since you were already like another child living within the palace. Years after his 'adoption' of you, I took note that you hadn't developed the lines of an air nomad. Still, I was just as curious. I thought there had to be an explanation- for I never imagine things," Iroh paused to reflect on his past.

Ashlynn waited quietly, respectfully, still just as interested in the story.

"There was a tale of an ancient library. Zhao had spoken of it to me before, had claimed he found it, and that it indeed existed, and that it contained vast amounts of knowledge. I went to him with questions about it, and got him to tell me its location. I traveled there, seeking any knowledge on the air nomads. I found a section dedicated to them entirely. I read for hours and hours, and finally came across the most interesting scroll."

"What did the scroll say?" Ashlynn inquired eagerly.

"It was a tale; A tale of a small group of air nomads from the western air temple that fled their home. One of them was a kind of prophet, whom foresaw the doom of his people. He tried to convince everyone that doom was at hand, but only a select few followed him, most of which were in his immediate family. They left the temple, and sought sanctuary within the mountains far, far away. They tried to keep their civilization alive by doing this. For one hundred years they kept a single family line going, moving from place to place. That is, until, the last of the line settled in Ba Sing Se- during its siege. The tale stopped after that, but I'd already connected the tale to the child I'd found. All of the family had died out, and imagine the child's- well, your- father had been killed during the war. Your mother tried to spare your life, most likely in hopes of keeping the air nomad line going," Iroh recapped the story like he'd had it etched into his mind.

Ashlynn's eyes widened at the very idea of it all. Had her family all been air benders, or just her ancestors? Had it been a trait of her people a hundred years ago that vanished through her family, and then reappeared within her? What about the arrows on the skin of air nomads? Hadn't they all had them?

"What about my tattoos? I have none," Ashlynn inquired, picking that question out of the countless others.

"Ah, yes- the arrows. The tale mentioned how the air nomads tried to repopulate with others outside their group in hopes that their offspring would be born without them, or with arrows that were faded. I imagine within one hundred years, the arrows faded from your line, and that is why you have none," Iroh explained calmly.

"Why would they do that? Also, wouldn't that mean I'm not a full-blood air nomad?" Ashlynn asked seriously.

"To protect them. Think about it- If the fire nation had discovered anyone with arrows on their skin, they'd be killed on the spot. And yes- I believe this means you are not entirely an air nomad. But that does not mean you don't have the blood of the nomads in you. You are all that's left of the western air temple, and you are one of two air benders left in the world. You're practically a living relic, and I believe if the fire nation found out this secret, they'd stop at nothing to get you in their hands. You'd fetch a hefty price, too, no doubt," Iroh clarified.

"How can all this be? I lived with the fire nation ever since I can remember," Ashlynn frowned, utterly confused.

"Correct. You have lived with them ever since you can remember. Before then, you have no memory. I suspect the reason for this to be because, for a small child, when a traumatic event happens in their life, they tend to block it from their mind. They don't know how else to cope with it; they aren't old enough to know how. You lived in the midst of a war, your father dead, your mother dying: you couldn't know what was happening, or why. But when you left that hellish hole, you became happier. And thus- your memory takes you back to when you began to be happy again," Iroh enlightened.

Ashlynn considered his words for a moment. What he said made sense, and Ashlynn had never known Iroh to be a liar. After all, what other explanation was there for an air bender living within the royal palace of the fire nation? She then accepted what he said as true, and relaxed as she absorbed the whole story.

"What now?" Ashlynn asked, reverting her mind back to her current situation. Iroh had said she couldn't stay there, after all. Where was she to go, then?

"There is an oasis nearby where you can gather some food, and maybe places to stay for a few days before you begin to track your friends. I'd suggest going there to gather your thoughts and decide what YOU want to do next," Iroh proposed. Ashlynn nodded, taking his advice entirely.

"It's best I left now then, isn't it? Even though it's dark out," Ashlynn asked, and Iroh nodded. Ashlynn sighed, and stood up.

"We will run into one another again, soon," Iroh told her before telling her which direction the oasis was in. She shook her head in disbelief, and without another word to Iroh, she trailed back to the town to gather her belongings.

When everything was packed, Ashlynn departed from the town. She gazed at Iroh for a moment, and then gazed into the direction she'd last seen Zuko head towards. Finally, she looked towards the direction that the oasis was, and then began her walk towards her new destination.


	27. Book 2 Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_  
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

Ashlynn travelled aimlessly through the desert, hoping to come across the oasis that Iroh had mentioned previously. She hadn't the slightest idea how she was going to begin tracking her old group of friends, but she knew she had to. Otherwise, she'd be alone- for all she knew, she'd be alone for the remainder of her days.

It was hot, and the sun beat down upon her skin, causing multiple beads of sweat to run across her body. She dragged her hand across her forehead to rid herself of some of the sweat, and then tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. She was low on food and supplies- if she didn't find the oasis soon, then starvation would soon finish her off. She could feel the soles of her feet beginning to blister, and her ankles ached. She'd lost knowledge of the time.

After many more minutes of trekking across the desert sand she tripped over a rock, and collapsed upon the floor. She hissed in pain, and instinctively grasped her wounded foot. She sighed afterwards when she saw her remaining items rolling out from her pack, and scrambled to retrieve them all back. She looked up at the horizon, and grinned for the first time when she saw a town in the distance. She prayed it was the oasis Iroh had spoken of.

Leaving everything but her change remaining in the sand, she regained her footing and began to pace towards the small town. If it wasn't a mirage, then she was saved.

As she approached the walls surrounding the town she was relieved to see other people there. Each were dressed to keep the hot sun off their bodies, and she secretly wished she had had clothing of the kind. She glanced at her arms and frowned as she saw they'd turned her pale skin slightly red. She ignored the slight sting her arms had, and entered the town.

If the town was the oasis, Ashlynn came to the conclusion that it was a rather dried up one. Sure, there was water- but it was more of a puddle than a desert lake. Ashlynn eyed an empty bench underneath a tree, and thankfully took a seat within the shade. She made the mental decision to rest her feet until her stomach rumbled- then she'd go buy some food.

After some time passed, a few young men approached her. She kept her bag close to her, and eyed them warily. One of them grinned mischievously, and took a seat next to her. She inched away from him slightly, and remained silent.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing out here by yourself?" the man asked curiously. His voice was raspy, and gave Ashlynn the chills. She looked up at his friends, who each grinned down at her with the same mischievous look. "Looking for my friends," she responded casually, and frowned at the man. "We could be your friends," he replied, and placed a hand on her leg. His friends cackled in unison.

"Well, I'm not interested," she spat, and sat up and backed away from the group. The man sitting on the bench frowned at her, and one of his friends said "I think you hurt his feelings." The rest of the group continued to laugh. Ashlynn turned her back on them and began to walk away, only to bump into another man. He grasped her wrists as she flew them up in front of her in defense, and she felt the other men close in on her. One of them grasped her bag, and she began to struggle to free her arms.

The man grasping her wrists shoved her against the nearest wall and pulled a pocket-knife out, and pressed the side of the blade against her throat. The other men scrambled to take her bag from her. She debated air-bending her way out of her situation, but then a familiar voice was heard.

"Ashlynn!" cried Sokka as he ran over to the group. "Ashlynn?" responded Aang, Katara, and Toph, and they, too, followed Sokka. "You let her go, or you die," Sokka demanded, and armed himself with his machete. "Pay us, and maybe we will," spat one of the men. Ashlynn made eye contact with Aang, and he nodded at her. She swallowed, and then waited.

As soon as Aang sent a gust of wind flying at the men, Ashlynn bended herself out of the other man's grip, away from the blade. Every man fell over, and cried out in surprise and horror. Then, they each retreated together out of sight.

Before Ashlynn could react, Sokka ran towards her, and wrapped his arms tightly around her in a hug. She swallowed a sob, and hugged him back, forgetting the fear she'd had moments ago. "I can't believe you made it here- and we were just getting ready to leave! Talk about good timing," Aang told her. Ashlynn released herself from Sokka's hold, and looked down at her bag. A slice had been made through the fabric, and her money was gone.

"Those thieves," she frowned, and dropped her bag on the ground; she no longer had a use for it.

"Oh my, you're an air nomad too?!" said a man who was unfamiliar to Ashlynn.

"Oh, Ash, this is Professor Zei. He's the head of the anthropology department at Ba Sing Se. He's searching for a lost library in the desert- we told him we'd help. Who knows, maybe we can find some information on the fire nation," Sokka told Ashlynn. Zei grasped Ashlynn's hand firmly and shook it vigorously. "It's amazing that you exist! You're practically a living relic- just like the Avatar! Your bending seems rather advanced too, has the Avatar been training you? Where do you come from? Are your parents alive?"

Ashlynn's head swam as the questions hit her like a rock. "I think… I think I need to rest and eat," Ashlynn said, and swallowed to help clear out the dryness in her throat. "We were just going to go get up on Appa. You can rest there," Sokka told her, and grasped her arm to help her remain standing.

On Appa, Sokka gave Ashlynn some of the dried meat they'd bought at the oasis. She ate it gratefully, and a portion of her energy returned. The aching in her ankles and legs began to die down as well.

After a quarter of an hour of flight, Sokka and Katara sat close to Ashlynn, and looked at her both eagerly, and worriedly. "Is there… a problem?" Ashlynn questioned hesitantly. "Well… We're a little curious as to what happened when you stayed behind. Is Zuko's uncle okay?" Katara asked curiously.

"Iroh? He's fine. In fact- he told me a lot about my history," Ashlynn replied solemnly.

Toph, Aang, and Zei turned to look at her as she said this. Ashlynn sighed, and said "I'll tell you guys… IF you keep looking for this library. I don't want to be flying around for hours on end for nothing." Each of them nodded, and returned to scanning the desert around them, ears awaiting Ashlynn's recent tale.

Ashlynn inhaled, and pondered where to start. After a moment, she decided to start as Iroh had- and thus, she told them her story.

"That's unbelievably. I can't believe your heritage traces back so far- and I can't believe Iroh knows that much" Aang exclaimed. Zei had taken up writing what he could of Ashlynn's story into a journal he kept for himself. Sokka was quiet, taking in the fullness of his story. Ashlynn wondered if he was regretting all the times he'd associated her as fire nation- since it was clear she was never of the fire nation at all, not of her own free will at least.

"Do you think any of your family still lives?" Katara asked, and Ashlynn shrugged. If her mother was alive, or if she had siblings, that was something she'd worry about after the war was over. She couldn't afford to let control her emotions, and her mind. "Is it just me, or does it feel like the library Iroh went to is the one we're looking for?" Toph asked. "It's highly possible," Zei responded, still writing in his journal.

"Wait, I see something!" Sokka said suddenly, interrupting the conversation. Everyone looked to where he was pointing, and Aang glided Appa down. Ashlynn was thankful for a distraction- she didn't feel like talking about herself anymore.

Appa landed next to a tall pillar that was jutting out of the sand, stretching high above their heads. Much to their dismay, it looked nothing like the picture of the library that Zei had brought with them, for the library was much larger than the measly tower that hovered over them.

Katara sighed, and said "This is obviously not what we're searching for. Let's move on."

"Wait, what's that?" Ashlynn pointed out in the distance, where a gleam of light shined toward them. They each squinted to get a better look as a fox-like animal ran towards the tower. It glanced at the group once, and then ran in a vertical line up the tower. "What kind of animal is that?" asked Katara. Zei pondered the question for a moment, and then said "I think that was one of the knowledge seekers! We must be close to the library!"

As he said this, the team looked down at the picture on the scroll they held out before them. Sokka was the first to make the connection as he said "No, this is the library!" Zei looked back at them and frowned, confused. "You're right, look, it's this tower here," Ashlynn said, and pointed at a small tower atop the enormous building in the picture. "It's completely buried in sand," Katara said hopelessly.

"Buried! Now what am I to do?" Zei cried out in horror. Toph approached the building and placed her hand firmly upon the cold stone, feeling its structure. "The inside is entirely intact. You guys could probably get in through that window up there and explore the inside," Toph told them, and Zei's face lit up excitedly.

"I'll wait out here. Books don't really do it for me," Toph frowned. "Alright, that way you can keep Appa company," Aang said; it was obvious the sky bison couldn't fit through the small window.

Sokka tied a long rope to his boomerang, and tossed it up through the window. It latched onto the edge, and he began to climb up the rope. Ashlynn, Aang, Katara, and Zei followed him. When they reached the ledge they latched the boomerang onto the other side, and let the rope drop down to the floor. Ashlynn grew dizzy as she looked at how far down they had to go. "I think I'll just glide down," she told her friends, and opened her glider. They nodded their approval, and she took off.

She bended the currents around her, silently bringing her down into the library. The size was overwhelming- the picture had made it seem large, but it didn't do it justice. The designs on the walls were exquisite, and highly detailed. After a moment of taking the sight in, she landed softly on the ground, and waited for her friends to show up.

She could hear Zei's voice bounce off the walls as he verbally admired the architectural artwork throughout the library as he, and the remainder of the group, descended into the depths of the building. Slowly, but surely, the ground dropped down next to Ashlynn, and took in the fullness of the ancient library.

Then, suddenly, a shuffling was heard from nearby. Instinctively, the group ran behind the nearest pillar, hoping to avoid any confrontation with a higher power. Sokka pressed Ashlynn close to himself, trying to make the group as tight and small as possible. The shuffling continued, and then a deep voice said "I know you're back there." Aang gasped, and Ashlynn's heart thudded faster with anxiety.

Without warning or hesitation, Zei left his hiding spot and approached the figure that Ashlynn was unable to see. She heard Zei introduce himself happily. The voice replied "You should leave the way you came." Aang left his place behind the pillar, and slowly Sokka dragged Ashlynn and his sister out from behind the pillar as well.

The figure looked like a black owl, although much, much larger in size than that of an ordinary owl. It walked on two feet, and stood much taller than anyone in the group. Ashlynn found it to be intimidating- and even more-so when she realized he was a spirit.

"Are you the spirit who brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka asked as he, and everyone else, approached the owl spirit. "Yes, I am Wan Shi Tong; he who knows ten-thousand things. You are obviously humans, whom are no longer permitted in my library," the spirit replied, turning his head to each of them. Although it appeared he had no eyes, Ashlynn couldn't shake off the feeling that he was staring right into their very souls. She shivered at the thought.

"What's wrong with humans?" Aang inquired.

"Humans only wish to learn that which will help them overpower other humans. They only come here seeking ways to destroy their enemy. Thus, I must assume you are only here to destroy your own enemies," the spirit told them, and Ashlynn felt he'd grown very angry and impatient with them.

"Oh, well… We're not here for destroying purposes!" Sokka said hesitantly, and gave a nervous chuckle. "Then, pray-tell, why have you come here?" the owl questioned. Ashlynn felt Sokka's body stiffen beside her as he grew more nervous. "Uh… Knowledge for… Knowledge's sake?" Sokka replied nervously.

"I'm an old spirit; I can tell when you're lying."

"Hey, I'm not lying!" Sokka retorted.

"We're here with the Avatar. If you don't believe us, believe him. He is the bridge between our worlds, after all," Ashlynn said, and gave Aang a small push forward. Aang frowned back at her, and then smiled up at the owl spirit.

"You have my word, good spirit, that we will not abuse the knowledge of your library," Aang said respectfully. The spirit pondered this for a moment, and then said "Very well. I'll let you 'browse' my fast collection- on one condition. I wish for each of you to provide some worthwhile knowledge, to add to my library."

Zei stepped forward first, and held a book out before him. The owl nodded his head respectfully, and brushed the book away from Zei's hands, causing it to vanish from sight. Katara stepped forward second, and presented her water-bending scroll, which the owl also took gratefully. Ashlynn became dizzy, unable to think of something she could give to the spirit. Would she have to leave the library?

Aang gave the spirit a wanted poster of himself. The owl sighed, and accepted it anyways. "Aang, what should I give him?" Ashlynn whispered to her friend. "Well, you're a living relic. Perhaps tell him you're all that's left of your kind and say you want to learn of your heritage," Aang suggested. Ashlynn sighed doubtfully.

Sokka presented a knot-figure, which the owl took regardless. Ashlynn began to believe that maybe a pity-story would work on the spirit, after all. Ashlynn stepped forward as Sokka stepped back.

"Great spirit," she said, and bowed respectfully. "I realize you have nothing to present to me, and I must tell you- bribery won't work on me. Yet… Lucky for you, I realize you are, as your companion said, 'a living relic'. If you wish to learn of your past, then do so. However, you are not permitted to view anything else of my knowledge," the spirit said, and without another word he took flight, and dove down deeper into the library, out of sight.

"I wasn't really interested in reading anything anyways. I just didn't want to wait outside…" Ashlynn murmured to Aang and Sokka. Sokka gave her thumbs up, and then proceeded to followed Zei. Ashlynn followed closely behind him.

Ashlynn couldn't believe how large the library was, and wondered how long it'd take to cover all of the ground it had within it. She only hoped that they found whatever it was they were looking for quickly, and left- before the spirit came back.

Katara and Aang followed Zei about, and the three of them read up on useless fun-facts. Ashlynn followed Sokka, whom was looking for information on the fire nation.

"You know Ash, it'd be great if you knew your way to the fire nation. Then I wouldn't need to keep looking for a map," Sokka told her as he surveyed a few scrolls, and stuffed some into his bag. "I haven't been there in years Sokka, let alone know the exact location of everything. I never left the fire nation palace walls…" Ashlynn explained.

"Hey, what's that?" Sokka asked, and pointed to a stand that held a single sheet of paper beneath a glass encasement. "The darkest day in fire nation history," Ashlynn read the writing upon the paper. "It's got a date at the top, but it doesn't say anything else. Come on, I want to find out what happened," Sokka told her, and slipped his machete beneath the glass, and pried it off the paper. Ashlynn looked behind her to see if anyone was watching, which, none were. Sokka grasped the piece of paper, and stepped away from the stand.

"Follow me," he said, and took off through a bookshelf. Ashlynn quickly followed him.

"Sokka, where are you going?" Aang asked as he saw Sokka running away. "I'm going to find out what happened to the fire nation on its darkest day. This could be promising."

"If I'm correct, the information on the fire nation should be right up here," Sokka said, pointing at a doorway that had a red drape pinned above the opening. They entered through the arc and everyone gasped in shock. Everything within the room had been burnt to a crisp and smudged throughout the room.

"Fire benders… They've destroyed everything that had any information on them," Katara muttered hopelessly. Sokka cried out in rage, and said "That's so unfair! Why is it that whenever I think we're one step ahead of them it turns out they beat us there a long time ago? I need to know what happened on the darkest day!"

Suddenly, a whimpering was heard from behind them. Everyone turned back to see the fox-like knowledge seeker sitting behind them. "Hello- little fox guy," Sokka said curiously. The fox turned around, and pointed with a single paw in the other direction.

"It appears to be trying to assist you," Zei suggested. "Sure, I guess I'll follow it," Sokka replied, confused. Thus, the group took off after the knowledge seeker.

The fox led the group to a large, round stone door. It crawled through a small hole that no one aside Momo would be able to fit through, and vanished from sight. A moment later, the stone door rolled to the side, granting them passage into the curious room.

The team entered the room, and watched as the fox ran up to a single circular pedestal in the room, and pushed down on a lever. Then, the walls around them changed to a view of the night sky. Fake stars shone around them, and there was a single circle sliding along the wall that was shaped like the moon.

"This… Is a mechanical wonder! It's a planetarium that shows the heavens moving!" Zei exclaimed excitedly as the walls became a day-time blue sky, and the sun moved across the wall next. Katara looked down at the pedestal, which had symbols carved into them.

"I bet these dials represent dates," Katara suggested. "Oh, Sokka! Enter the date on that paper you grabbed," Ashlynn urged. Sokka nearly jumped as he produced the flimsy paper from his bag. He got a good look at the date, and then moved the dials to match it. Then, he pushed the lever, and the walls began to change once more.

Everyone frowned when the machine appeared to have broken; the walls were the daytime sky, but the sun was gone- the moon in its place. "Where'd the sun go?" Katara inquired worriedly. "Nice work Sokka, you broke it," Aang sighed.

"No, it's not broken- the sun is behind the moon! It's a solar eclipse!" Sokka exclaimed, and Ashlynn nearly jumped with realization. "It's literally the darkest day in fire nation history!" she cried out with excitement, and Sokka grinned at her- he'd realized it too.

"See, Ashlynn gets it! Something terrible happened on that day. I don't know what, but I do know why… Fire benders lose their bending during a solar eclipse!" Sokka said, growing more excited. "It makes sense! Think of what the lunar eclipse did to the water benders. This is huge!' Katara gasped.

"We need to get this information to the earth king at Ba Sing Se," Ashlynn ordered. Sokka nodded, and said "We can wait for the next eclipse, and eliminate the fire nation while they're totally helpless. The fire lord is going down!"

Ashlynn gasped as she saw a shadow loom over them. They each turned around, and grew terrified as they realized it was Wan Shi Tong. He'd heard every word they'd said. "You mortals are so predictable- and such terrible liars. You betrayed my trust! From the beginning, your intentions were of this! You wanted to misuse my knowledge for your own personal gain!"

"You don't understand! We need this information- the fire nation is dangerous! Didn't you see what they did to your library? They're the destructive and evil ones!" Sokka fought back, attempting to justify their actions.

"You aren't the only ones who have come here seeking weapons and battle strategies!" the spirit spat, growing angrier.

"We didn't have a choice. Please forgive us, great spirit- we're just trying to protect the ones we love," Aang pleaded. "Now, I am going to protect what I love," Wan Shi Tong said deeply.

The library began to shake, and dirt and particles began to crumble off the walls around them. The owl spirit began to double in size, its neck expanding upwards as it flapped its enormous wings in an attempt to collapse the ancient building. A giant wind began to surround them, and Ashlynn bended a bubble around her to help keep her footing.

"What are you doing?" Aang cried out in terror.

"I'm taking my knowledge back. No one will ever abuse it again!"

Ashlynn jumped as a chunk of stone fell from the ceiling and bounced off her air bubble, crumbling upon the floor. Sand began to seep through the cracks in the walls. "He's sinking the library! We need to leave, now!" Katara shouted over the wind.

"I can't allow that- you already know too much!"

Just in time, the group leapt to the side as the spirit lunged its enormous head at the group, its sharp beak missing them by inches. Ashlynn bended the wind back at it with her staff, and swiftly ran out the room with the remainder of the group. The spirit shook its head in confusion, and took flight, following them.

They ran through the vast halls, back towards where their rope still hung. The spirit trailed closely behind, attempting to bite at them whenever it got close enough. Wan Shi Tong crashed through his towers of books, breaking anything he came into contact with. Every-so-often Ashlynn and Aang would bend a gust of wind back at the spirit, but to no avail.

"We need to get the surface!" Aang shouted at his companions. Sokka halted, however. "Sokka? Come on, let's go!" Katara tugged on his arm. "No, Katara. We still don't know when the next eclipse is!"

"Don't be stupid, Sokka, we'll find out later!" she shouted at him. "No, you guys go on ahead. I'm going back to check the date," Sokka told them, and ran back towards the planetarium. Aang quickly followed Sokka, to ensure he'd be alright.

"Let's go Katara," Ashlynn shouted, and screamed as Wan Shi Tong suddenly burst through the shelf of books nearest to them. The wind force was enough to topple them over, but Ashlynn quickly regained a standing posture. She helped Katara up, and dazed the spirit for a single second with another gust of wind in its direction. Zei took off in an opposite direction.

"Down here, Katara," Ashlynn said, and grasped her friend's wrist and dragged her down another aisle of books. Then, she darted behind another shelf, and sat silently. Ashlynn put a finger to her lips to signal for Katara to be quiet. Katara held Momo close to her. Ashlynn could hear the spirit pacing around, searching.

The spirit chuckled, and said "And you both thought you could hide from me."

Before it could knock down the shelves, Ashlynn tugged Katara away, and began to continue running towards the exit. "Run Katara, keep going!" Ashlynn cried, and shoved Katara ahead of her. Ashlynn then planted her feet firmly on the ground, and held her staff in front of her. When Wan Shi Tong closed in on her, she swiped her staff in front of her as hard as she could, sending another massive gust of wind at his face.

Ashlynn took several steps back as she waited for the spirit to recover. Wan Shi Tong shook his head, clearing his vision. She kept her ground as she waited for him to close in on her again. "You think you are more powerful than me, more intelligent? You know nothing!" the spirit spat as it grew closer to her.

Suddenly, Aang's glider came into view, and Sokka dropped down from the air, and whacked the spirit across its head with a tome. Wan Shi Tong collapsed, fully dazed from the blow. Sokka fell off the massive creature, and landed on his back beside Ashlynn. He groaned in pain, but was still conscious. Ashlynn knelt down beside him, and helped him up.

"Thanks, Sokka," she said to him, and kissed him softly on the cheek. He nodded, blushed lightly, and pointed at the rope that still hung from the window they'd crawled through. Katara hadn't left- she had waited for her companions. "Where's Zei?" Sokka asked Katara. "He refuses to leave. He spent his whole life looking for this place," Katara sighed.

"It's okay Sokka, let's go!" Ashlynn urged, and Sokka reluctantly began to climb up the rope. Aang and Ashlynn remained behind on their gliders, ensuring that Sokka and his sister made it up and out safely.

Just as they approached the window, Wan Shi Tong began to stir once more. "Go, go!" Ashlynn screamed at the water tribe siblings. Aang grasped Katara, and Ashlynn grasped Sokka, and together they flew them back outside into the desert. Due to the library beginning to sink, the tower stood no more than a few feet above the ground. They collapsed beside Toph, whom had been keeping the tower out of the ground.

Toph released her grip on the tower, and collapsed beside them, exhausted.

Ashlynn's head swam, and she felt Sokka squirm beneath her, struggling to get up. Still dizzy, she sat up and apologized to Sokka, who stood up and helped her stand up. "This is great! A solar eclipse!" he exclaimed excitedly to the group.

However, the happy moment took a sharp turn as Aang asked Toph "Where's Appa?"

Toph had tears running down her face, and she shook her head, unable to speak. Ashlynn looked around her, and noticed that Appa was indeed missing. There were footprints not too far from them, and the faint paw prints of Appa.

Tears ran down Aang's face as he realized Appa had been capture.

The group was stranded.


	28. Book 2 Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_  
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

"What happened to Appa?" Aang shouted at Toph. Toph's cheeks were stained with tears, and Ashlynn wished Aang wouldn't scream at her. Yet, there was no stopping him- he'd lost his longest friend, and hadn't the slightest idea where he went to.

"Those sand benders came and stole him," Toph responded.

"How could you let them take Appa?" Aang screamed even louder. His face was turning red with anger, but there was nothing anyone could do to soften his verbal blows to Toph.

"The library was sinking! It was all I could do just to keep it up- you guys were still inside! If I had let it go you all would've been trapped down there with no way to get out!" Toph fought back. Ashlynn felt momentary gratitude towards Toph for helping them survive, although she still felt sorrow for Appa's loss.

"Well why didn't you come and get us? I could've saved him!" Aang screamed, and took another step towards Toph.

"I can't feel a thing out here! They snuck up on me, Aang. There wouldn't have been time to---"

"You just didn't care! You've never cared about Appa- you wanted him gone!" Aang spat in Toph's face.

"Aang! Stop it," Katara said finally, and firmly grasped Aang's shoulders in an attempt to cool him off. "I know you know Toph did all she could- she saved our lives! We wouldn't be here right now if not for her."

"Who's going to save our lives now? We're stranded in the middle of this desert! Appa's not around to fly us back out of here," Sokka said, causing everyone aside Aang to gaze around them and take in the seriousness of their dire situation. He was right- there was nothing but desert sand for miles around.

"All of you only care about yourselves. You don't care if Appa is okay or not!" Aang shouted, and stomped away from the group, hands balled into fists.

"We're all very concerned about Appa, Aang, but we can't afford to be fighting any sand benders or going out of our way to go looking for him. He could be anywhere! We don't know our ways around this desert, and we hardly have any food or water left," Katara pleaded, hoping Aang would stop accusing the group of lacking a heart for their furry friend.

"Fine, I'm going after Appa then," Aang declared, and before anyone could protest he opened his glider and took off away from the group, flying up and towards the sun. Ashlynn sighed, knowing she could skim the desert with him, but she had no desire to be yelled at anymore.

Katara sighed and said, "We better start walking. We may be the only people that know about the solar eclipse. It's important that we get that information to Ba Sing Se." On that final note, Katara began to pace across the sand in the direction she believed Ba Sing Se was. Sokka, Toph, and Ashlynn exchanged anxious glances, and then followed Katara.

Ashlynn felt ready to collapse. Sweat was pouring from all over her body, and her skin was beginning to sting. The sun did not get along well with the fairness of her skin. The sun beat down on the entire group, and everyone was beginning to falter. They had little food and water in their stomachs, and wanted nothing more than to lie down in shade.

"Katara, can I have some more water?" Toph asked as she and Sokka came to a halt. Ashlynn stopped beside them, and sat down on the hot sand. Her ankles were sore, and her moccasins were beginning to tear at the seams. She grasped one ankle and began to massage it.

"Alright, but we need to try and conserve it," Katara said, and she opened her pouch of bending water. She bended a small bubble of water to each individual's mouth, in which everyone drank gratefully.

"We're drinking your bending water? Wait… Didn't you use it on that swamp guy?" Sokka cried out in horror and disgust. Once Sokka had mentioned it, Ashlynn could notice that the taste of the water was rather swamp-like, and her stomach churned at the thought. Toph and even Momo protested at the taste.

"It's all we have guys, I'm sorry," Katara sighed.

"Not anymore- Look!" Sokka said, and pointed at a nearby cactus. Without another word he approached the plant and sliced off a chunk off the top with his machete. Since there was water trapped inside the cactus, Sokka drank every drop of the slice he had, and then discarded the empty piece.

"Sokka, wait! We shouldn't be eating strange plants," Katara pleaded.

"Suit yourself. It's very thirst quenching though!" Sokka said, and a large grin spread across his face. After a moment his pupils doubled in size. He begin to chuckle to himself, and more sweat began to pour down from his forehead.

"Come on Sokka… I'm pretty sure you've had enough," Katara said, and began to continue walking away from the water-filled plant.

"Wait, I want some of that cactus juice," Toph requested. Ashlynn pondered asking for some for herself, but after another glance at Sokka, she decided against it. Now, Sokka stood hunched over with his gaze pointed straight upward, and his jaw hung open. Ashlynn wondered for a moment if the cactus juice was even water- since it was causing Sokka to behave so strangely.

Katara sighed and grasped Sokka's wrist, dragging him onward. Ashlynn grasped Toph's hand, and helped guide her behind Sokka and Ashlynn. Ashlynn groaned when her ankles protested more walking; yet- she continued on.

"What is that?" Katara asked, and pointed on the horizon. A gust of wind rolled by the group, and Ashlynn brought an arm up to her face to protect her eyes from the sand. When the wind died down, she lowered her arm to survey what Katara had pointed out.

In the distance appeared to be a pillar of smoke, or dust, stretching high up to the sky. Ashlynn wondered for a moment if maybe it was Aang. If not- then it had to be something less friendly to them. Thus, Ashlynn hoped it stayed far away from them.

"Looks like a pillar of smoke, or dust," Ashlynn said in response to Katara's question.

"No. It's a giant mushroom!" Sokka said with glee, and outstretched his arms in a hugging fashion towards the cloud of dust. He grew an enormous smile across his face and gazed longingly at the pillar of dust.

Katara sighed and grasped Toph's hand before saying, "Come on, and let's keep going."

"I hope Aang's okay," Ashlynn muttered to herself, and grasped Sokka's hand. Still grinning, he happily followed behind her, his hand barely grasping hers as he dragged his feet across the sand, kicking up dust behind them.

The sun was beginning to dip behind the mountains before Aang returned to the group- without Appa. There wasn't much anyone could say, since they knew his search had been in vain. Katara halted the group, and Ashlynn helped Sokka sit down properly on the sandy floor.

"I'm sorry, Aang," Katara murmured. "I know this is hard for you- but we need to focus on getting out of here." Katara placed a friendly hand on Aang's shoulder, but he shied away from her, still angry as ever.

"What's the point? We won't survive without Appa- we all know it," Aang said in a barely audible voice.

"Aang, don't say that! We can get through this if we work together, right?" Katara said optimistically and turned back to look at her companions for support.

Ashlynn glanced at Sokka, who was still dazed and beside himself. Ashlynn sighed, and shrugged at Katara, doubtful.

"I can't see anything- I don't know Katara," Toph replied, also doubtful.

Katara looked back at Aang, whom hadn't so much as turned his head to look at his friends. He remained silent, ignoring Katara's pleas and attempts to keep the group strong. After another quick glance at every group member, Katara groaned and said, "We're going to get out of here- and we're going to do it together. Come everyone, hold hands, and let's go. We can do this." Katara grasped Aang's hand firmly.

Aang lightly gripped Toph's hand next, whom took hold of Ashlynn's hand. Finally, Ashlynn tightened her free hand around Sokka's, and dragged him along with the remainder of the group. Sokka dragged Momo along with them by his tail, giggling all the while.

After several more hours Katara finally suggested that the group rest for the remainder of the evening. It was at the darkest point of the night, now, and the stars shone brightly through the sky. Everyone collapsed on the floor, aside Katara. Ashlynn hissed at the burning sensation in her skin, and the soreness in her feet. She placed a hand upon her arm and nearly shouted out as the stinging pain grew worse momentarily. She dragged her hand from her arm and grasped her foot, massaging it.

"Can I have some more water?" Toph requested. Katara sighed, and said, "Sure… But this is the last of it." She opened her pouch and bended what was left of it evenly between everyone in the group. Ashlynn drank it thankfully, ignoring the swamp taste that lingered on her tongue.

"Ashlynn, would you hand me the scrolls Sokka got from the library?" Katara asked. Ashlynn nodded, and attempted to pry Sokka's bag from his fingers. He protested at first, muttering repeatedly that he hadn't stolen anything. Yet, after a few tries, he released his grip on the bag, and Ashlynn handed it to Katara. She nodded her thanks.

"It doesn't even matter Katara- nothing in there will tell us where Appa is," Aang muttered sorrowfully.

"No- but they can tell us which way Ba Sing Se is. There's a map of the stars in here! We can use them to guide us to the city. That way we can travel at night and sleep during the day when it's hot," Katara exclaimed as she unrolled a scroll with the constellations on them. She looked back at the group, and sighed; everyone had begun to fall asleep.

Ashlynn had curled up beside Sokka, who had spread his arms and legs; his tongue was hanging from his mouth. Already he was snoring, having already fallen into a deep slumber. Ashlynn groaned, and closed her eyes, unable to resist the urge to sleep any longer.

"Ashlynn, wake up! Help me get everyone else up." Ashlynn stirred as Katara whispered to her, and she opened her eyes slowly. It was still evening, and she felt like she'd only been asleep for several minutes. Aang was curled up away from the group, and Toph was sprawled out across the sand, fast asleep. Sokka was snoring loudly, giggling in his sleep every so often, and Momo was making Sokka a blanket out of sand. Ashlynn watched Katara approach Aang.

Ashlynn sat up, stretched, and rubbed her eyes. She could feel grains of sand fall from her face as she rubbed her hands in her eyes and across her cheeks. She glanced over at Sokka and nudged his arm with one hand in a feeble attempt to awake him. Toph sat up to the sound of Katara's voice speaking to Aang, and yawned.

"Sokka, we need to go," Ashlynn murmured quietly to her friend. Sokka sat up, still drowsy, and still not all himself yet. He grinned at Ashlynn, but kept his eyes closed momentarily. Ashlynn grasped his hand and helped him stand up. She stood up slowly, but kept his back hunched over.

"Appa!" Aang cried out suddenly. Ashlynn turned around fast to see where Aang was pointing at. He had his finger pointed straight up to the sky, towards the moon. Ashlynn frowned as she realized it was only a cloud.

"It's just a cloud Aang. Wait… A cloud! Aang, fly up to that cloud and bend the water from it into my pouch," Katara exclaimed, and hurriedly tossed Aang her water pouch. He caught it, shot Katara an angry glance, and flew up towards the cloud. Ashlynn watched Aang's silhouette zip through the cloud until it had completely dispersed. Moments later Aang landed beside Katara and shoved her water pouch back into her hands.

"There's hardly any in here…" Katara frowned as she gazed down into the pouch. Ashlynn frowned, knowing that they desperately needed water.

"It's a desert cloud, okay? I did all I could! What's anyone else doing? What are you doing?" Aang shouted and pointed the end of his glider at Katara. Ashlynn saw Katara's muscles tighten as she grew the urge to shout back, but they loosened as she said, "Trying to keep everyone together and safe. Let's keep moving, we need to head this direction."

Katara unrolled the map of the constellations and began to walk in what she believed to be the correct direction. Ashlynn urged Sokka onward as she grasped Toph's hand to guide her. Aang trailed behind them.

As tired as Ashlynn was of walking, she was grateful that she was walking at nighttime while it was cool. Her arms and neck still burned from the sun beating down on them, but the cool night air felt refreshing each time it rolled by.

After a half an hour of walking Toph suddenly tripped and fell onto the sand below, yanking her hand free of Ashlynn's. "I am so sick of being unable to see where I'm going!" she screamed out in rage as she sat up. "What idiot buries a boat in the middle of the desert anyways?" Toph fumed as she stood back up next to Ashlynn.

"A boat?" Katara questioned, confused. Aang urged everyone to take a step back, and so they did. He held his glider out in front of him, and bended a gust of wind through the sand below, sweeping it off the boat beneath them that Toph had tripped over.

"Oh! It's one of those vehicles the sand benders use to travel around the desert," Katara exclaimed as she climbed up onto the sand glider. Katara followed her and examined the ship.

"Look, it has a compass on it," Ashlynn pointed out, looking down at a small compass that stood atop a wooden pedestal at the head of the ship.

"I bet it can point us out of here!" Katara gasped as she examined the compass.

"We're going to make it!" Ashlynn cheered, and smiled at Katara. Katara returned the smile, and turned to the rest of the group.

"Aang, you can bend air between the glider and the sand to keep us moving along the desert. Aang nodded, but said nothing as he clambered onto the ship and took a spot at the end of it. Ashlynn offered a hand to Toph and helped her climb up, and then Sokka.

"Here, Aang, I'll help," Ashlynn said. Aang nodded, and together they began to bend a breeze behind the glider, causing it to start sailing across the sand, with Katara as their guide.

"According to my charts, this compass isn't pointing north. It must be pointing towards something else," Katara frowned after some time of travel. Ashlynn sighed; if they got lost now there was no way to tell which way Ba Sing Se really was. Yet, she continued to help Aang guide the glider in the direction Katara told them to go.

Katara gasped a moment later and said, "That's what the compass is pointing to- that giant rock!" Ashlynn looked around for a moment to view the rock Katara had pointed out. Indeed, it was a giant rock, like a plateau, in the middle of nowhere within the vast desert. Ashlynn raised an eyebrow in confusion and curiosity.

"It's probably the magnetic center of the desert," Ashlynn shouted to Katara over the roaring winds that she and Aang were creating.

"A rock? Let's go!" Toph shouted excitedly, more than eager to be able to see with her feet again.

"Do you think we could find some water there?" Ashlynn questioned, and Katara nodded hopefully in response.

"I bet we could find some sand benders," Aang hissed angrily, desperate to avenge his lost companion.

The sun began to peek up from behind the rock when they began to close in on it. Ashlynn limbs were aching from keeping a wind soaring behind the glider. She began to ponder what was going to happen by the time they did reach the rock. Would they find water, or sand benders? If they did, what happened next?

Sokka had begun to phase into his usual self again. He talked normally, and his pupils weren't so large. In addition, he'd stopped his wide and unusual grin.

Ashlynn and Aang slowed the glider down and brought it to a halt next to the rock moments later.

"So, should we climb it?" Ashlynn questioned. Katara nodded and said, "Yes- for all we know there could be something worthwhile at the top. Maybe we'll be able to see for miles around up there. There's even a pathway leading up to the top- I bet it was built by earth benders." Agreeing, Ashlynn began to hike up the trail. Her arms were sore, but she'd gained regular feeling in her legs again. So- the hike upwards wasn't so bad.

Sokka trailed behind her, still attached to Momo. Katara followed Sokka, and Toph followed Katara. Toph was more than glad to be able to feel her way up the rock, rather than need someone to hold her hand and guide her to the right spot. Aang took the rear.

Once they were at the top, Ashlynn frowned, for there was nothing but a nest of tunnels perched near the furthest ledge from them. Toph, however, was gleeful, and she fell upon the solid earth, using her bending to create a 'rock angel'.

"Maybe there's something in those tunnels?" Ashlynn suggested. Katara shrugged, and walked towards the tunnels. Her companions followed behind her, desperate for water, or food.

"I think my head is finally clearing out that cactus juice," Sokka said finally, his tone of voice no less than normal. "Hey, look!" he shouted eagerly. Ashlynn looked towards him just in time to see him swipe a gooey substance off the side of the cave and force a large portion of it into his mouth. Ashlynn wondered if he was just curious as to how it tasted, or if he was so hungry he'd eat anything.

Sokka spat the substance back out immediately and cried, "It tastes like rotten penguin meat!"

"Sokka- you finally begin to recover from being dazed all day by cactus juice… And then you just up and eat something you find stuck to the wall of a cave? You don't even know what it is!" Ashlynn raged at him in disbelief, both disgusted and annoyed. Sokka shrugged at her, and opened his mouth to respond, but Toph spoke first.

"I don't think this is your every-day normal cave. It was carved by something. There's… something buzzing in here… And it's coming for us!" Toph cried out suddenly, and darted back towards the entrance of the rocky tunnel. Quick to react, everyone did as she did, and ran back out to the flat and open part of the plateau.

Moments later, oversize bees with the heads of vultures swarmed out of the tunnels, angry and defensive of their home. They screamed at the group, enraged; their stingers were poised, prepared to attack with them if necessary. Ashlynn brought her glider in front of her and held it out before her like a sword. Sokka brought forth his machete, and Toph began to bend rocks in the direction she heard the enemy coming from. Aang did as Ashlynn did.

"We need to get out of here; I have no water to bend, I'm completely useless!" Katara exclaimed as she narrowly dodged one of the vulture-bees. Ashlynn swung her staff in an arc before her, sending a gust of wind at the same creature, sending it away from Katara. Katara nodded her thanks, and began to take off down the ramp.

Just then, one of the creatures swooped down and grasped Momo, taking it away from the group. "Momo!" Aang cried out, and opened his glider, and took off after Momo.

"Come on you guys, let's go!" Ashlynn shouted at Toph and Sokka, and took off after Katara. Toph dropped the rock she had suspended in mid-air, and followed Ashlynn. Sokka trailed after Toph, attempting to hit anything that came near him with his own weapon.

When they reached the bottom the vulture-bees still hadn't stopped swarming upon them. Katara cowered behind Toph, guiding her in the direction of the creatures, so that she could bend rocks at them, forcing them away. Ashlynn stood in front of Sokka with her staff held out before her, blowing away any enemy that came close to them. Yet, it was not enough- without Katara's water bending, they were far outnumbered.

Then, suddenly, the sand around them began to shoot up, striking every vulture-bee, forcing them upwards towards the sky. Once every one of them had been struck, they retreated reluctantly back into their home. Before them now stood several sand gliders and a few sand benders. Aang swooped down and stood in front of his companions defensively, with Momo at his side.

"What are you doing in our land with a sand bender sailor? From the looks of it, I'd say you all stole it!" declared the man at the head of the team. His voice was rugged and deep, and the creases in his forehead indicated his frustration and anger.

"We found it abandoned in the desert. We're travelling with the Avatar," Katara explained, and motioned towards Aang to point out exactly who the Avatar was.

"Our sky bison was stolen, and we need to get to Ba Sing Se," Ashlynn continued for Katara.

"You dare accuse our people of theft while you scum travel around on a stolen sand sailor?" shouted a younger man that stood at the leader's right. He took a step forward and raised a fist towards Aang and his companions, angered. Ashlynn frowned, knowing she hadn't accused them of anything.

"Quiet! They didn't accuse us of anything- don't be so hasty. If what they say is true, they need our hospitality!" the older man shouted back.

"Sorry, father," said the younger one, and lowered his fist. He took a step back to give his father more room.

"I recognize the son's voice," Toph whispered to the group, and then said, "He's the one that stole Appa."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked, less than willing to truly accuse the sand benders of something they may not have done. Toph nodded, and declared that she never forgets a voice once she's heard it. Then, Aang took a step forward, with his staff held out before him aggressively.

"You stole Appa? Where is he? What'd you do with him?" Aang shouted at the son, directing all his rage in the man's direction. The son began to sweat, and turned to his father, desperate for him to believe his son and not the Avatar.

"They're lying, father! They're the thieves!" the son accused. The accusation, however, only angered Aang more. Thus, he sent a gust of wind soaring at the sand gliders, breaking them into a hundred wooden bits, cutting off the benders means of transportation.

"Where is my bison?" Aang demanded.

"What did you do?" the father asked angrily at his son. Aang's upfront anger had persuaded the father to believe his son had been lying to everyone the entire time.

"It wasn't me!" the son cried out in hesitation, desperate for Aang to not hurt him.

"Yet you're the one that said to put a muzzle on him!" Toph shouted back. Aang began to fume, and shouted, "You muzzled Appa?"

The comment had sent Aang overboard, and his eyes and tattoos began to glow, showing everyone around him that he'd entered the Avatar state. Ashlynn knew Aang couldn't control himself, now, and so she grabbed Toph and Sokka's hand, and ran away from Aang as fast as she could. "Get out of here! Go!" Ashlynn cried to the sand benders. Frightened, they scattered away from Aang, desperate to get away. Katara stayed behind, however, in hopes of calming Aang down.

"Tell me where Appa is!" Aang screamed at the son as he ran away. The voices of all of Aang's past lives sounded through him, echoing his own words. The father stopped his son, and demanded he tell Aang where his stolen sky-bison was.

"I traded him to some merchants! He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now; they were going to sell him there. Please, don't hurt us! I didn't know it belonged to the Avatar! We'll escort you out of the desert- we'll help however we can! Just please, don't hurt us!" the son pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

A gust of wind and sand began to swarm around Aang as he grew angrier. "Run!" Sokka screamed at the son and his father. Unable to stand before Aang any longer, they took off after Ashlynn, Sokka, and Toph. When they were far enough away, they stopped to survey the scene, hoping Katara could bring Aang out of the Avatar state.

The ground began to shake, and Sokka grabbed Ashlynn and pulled her close to him. He pulled her face into his chest to shield her eyes from the sand, and then he, too, curled himself into her to shield his eyes as well. Ashlynn held on tightly to Toph's hand and kept her close to them, and waited for the shaking and the storming to come to a stop.

When it was over, Sokka released his hold on Ashlynn. Ashlynn looked up, and saw Katara holding Aang close. Ashlynn looked up at Sokka, who gave her a half-smile in an attempt to reassure her. He grasped her hand lightly, and began to walk her back over to Katara and Aang.

Aang had begun to cry, losing all hope that they'd ever see Appa again.


	29. Book 2 Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_  
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

**Author's Note:** I apologize to anyone who was a fan of "The Serpent's Pass" episode. I am combining the beginning of that episode, and "The Drill" for my own reasons. These reasons should hopefully come into play as time goes on, but, yes, I am omitting "The Serpent's Pass" from my story. Thus, I have altered the setting a little bit, and I apologize if this upsets anyone. However, please, enjoy.

"Water bending bomb!"

Katara's shout sounded through the area. Ashlynn looked up the cliff just in time to see Katara take a leap off of it, right into the lake below. Sokka cried out in shock, and turned around to protect the ancient scrolls he'd been studying. However, his body alone was not protection enough to keep the massive wave from splashing water all over them as Katara landed deep within the lake.

"Thanks, Katara," Sokka sighed as he shook one of the scrolls out before him, trying to shake off as much water as he could.

Katara apologized, and then bended the excess water out of the scroll, leaving it just as dry and intact as it had been before.

"Did you find out what route we're going to take?" Aang asked Sokka as he clambered out of the lake. Aang approached Sokka, whom laid the map out on the ground for all to see.

"We just got out of the desert, so we must be here," Sokka pointed out, and then said, "We need to go to Ba Sing Se- which is over here." Sokka then proceeded to point out a spot where a ferry had been built to carry people across a lake that divided where they were from Ba Sing Se. "I figure this is the safest route over there, so let's go get some passports and move along," he said.

"Hello there fellow refugees!" said a voice that no one recognized. In unison, the whole group turned their heads to the sound of the voice and saw a group of three people nearby. There was a single man, and two women, one of whom was pregnant. The man was grinning at the group, and waving his hand in a welcoming manner. The group of friends approached them curiously.

"Are you headed to Ba Sing Se too?" Aang questioned once the distance between the two groups had been closed.

The man nodded, and said, "We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby. Are you folks headed for the ferry?" Sokka nodded his head in response. "Great! We can travel together then," the man said, ecstatic.

Full Moon Bay, as it was called, was hidden from the Fire Nation. It was used to carry refugees to Ba Sing Se behind the Fire Nation's back, giving people a freer place to live. There were hundreds of people waiting to board their ferry and be taken to a place where they could start anew.

"I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation," Katara muttered as they entered Full Moon Bay. She eyed all the people surrounding them with sadness, wishing there was something more she could do to help.

"We're all looking for a better life- safe behind the walls of Ba Sing Se," Than, Ying's husband, responded with hope. Katara nodded understandingly.

"That woman looks rather strict," Ashlynn muttered to Sokka and Toph, and pointed at a harsh old woman behind a booth, whom was selling tickets. She was screaming at customers to have a passport before buying tickets for the ferry. Toph smirked and said, "I can take care of that easily." She withdrew an exquisite card from the folds of her clothes, and approached the booth.

Moments later, Toph returned with enough tickets for each of her friends, and then some for the refugees they'd befriended. "Oh thank you so much! This means everything to us- you folk are the kindest we've ever met, "exclaimed Ying as she pulled her ticket from Toph's hand. She patted her stomach with a small smile across her face, grateful to be making it to a safer city before giving birth.

"So it seems like this is going to be at least half a days ride. We'll probably arrive in the morning," Katara told her friends as they boarded the ferry. The sun was already setting behind the distant mountains. "Maybe it's best we just laid our sleeping bags out and slept till we get there," Katara suggested as she looked about for a spot on the ferry where they could all lie down.

When a spot was found, each person laid out their bag to form a circle- that way they could all sit up and talk and be able to look one another in the eye. Tahn, Ying, and the third woman set up their belongings nearby. Ashlynn eyed Ying warily, hoping she wouldn't go into labor while they were on the ferry.

After about an hour, food was brought by for everyone. It tasted old, and undercooked, but there was not much they could do about it. Then, one by one, everyone began to fall fast asleep, and the ferry became quiet, aside the night-watch doing his rounds on the upper level.

Ashlynn had set up her bag closest to the rim of ferry. Unable to sleep, she gazed upwards at the stars- or, at least, that which she could see, seeing as how the upper level of the ferry blocked some of her view of the sky. She was restless, and felt slightly sea-sick, for she hadn't been on a boat for some time.

After some time, her mind wandered off to thoughts of Zuko. Was he headed for Ba Sing Se too? Did he ever come back to Iroh? Was he okay? When Ashlynn's mind began to fill with poor thoughts, she rolled over, and dozed off into a deep slumber.

The sound of birds, machines, and running water awoke Ashlynn in the morning. She opened her eyes and watched as a few people bustled about the ferry, packing their belongings. Her companions, however, were still fast asleep.

Ashlynn crawled out of her bag and rolled it up, and tucked it safely next to Sokka, whom had put his sleeping bag closest to her. She grinned at her friend, whom was snoring with his mouth wide open, and then she tip-toed away quietly, making her way to the second level of the ferry.

Her stomach rumbled, and she looked around for anyone who was passing around food. When she hadn't any luck, she approached the rim of the ferry, and looked out around her.

The wall of Ba Sing Se was in full view, now, and was getting closer and closer by the minute. Ashlynn had never actually travelled to Ba Sing Se, that she could recall, but she'd heard plenty about it from Iroh. A sense of nostalgia filled her as she recalled the fact that she'd lived in Ba Sing Se before. It was this city that she was born in, this city that she was taken away from as a child, this city that she'd last seen her mother. The fact that she couldn't remember any of it angered her.

These ideas were diverted from her mind as she spotted something in the distance. From where she stood, it looked like a kind of drill several miles away from the wall, but she could not be sure, since she stood so far away. It was moving slowly towards the wall, and she began to worry. Thus, she took off after Aang.

"Aang! Aang!" Ashlynn shouted as she nearly collapsed by Aang's side. "Aang, wake up, this is important!" Ashlynn shouted, and tugged on Aang's arm. He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Ashlynn.

"What's wrong Ashlynn?" Katara questioned after a yawn as she, too, awoke. Ashlynn stood up and snatched her glider, and grasped Aang's too. "Come on Aang, we need to go!" Ashlynn shouted at him, and threw his staff down as she took off to the upper level again.

After a moment Aang showed up behind her. "Alright, what is it?" Aang asked irritably. "That!" Ashlynn shouted, and pointed at the drill. She opened her glider, and prepared to take off. "It's headed right for Ba Sing Se, Aang, we need to do something!" Aang nodded, and opened his glider too.

Then, Katara, Sokka, and Toph all showed up as well, lost and confused. "We'll meet you guys back at where the ferry docks," Aang told them, and took off before they could question his motives. Ashlynn quickly followed him, ignoring the cries of the guards on board that were ordering for them to come back.

Aang and Ashlynn soared together towards the machine, and the closer they got, the more Ashlynn realized that it was, in fact, a drill of sorts that was headed right for the wall. They glided right above it, and Ashlynn growled in frustration and anger as she saw the symbol of the fire nation branded upon the top of the drill.

"They're trying to break into Ba Sing Se and take it for the Fire Nation, Aang! They're trying to do what Iroh failed at years ago! We need to warn them!" Ashlynn shouted to Aang over the roaring winds.

Aang nodded, and said, "Come on! Let's go get Sokka, Katara, and Toph. We'll go to the top of the wall and search for someone that's in command." Ashlynn nodded, and followed Aang back to the ferry docks.

It took a moment to find them, but eventually Aang and Ashlynn spotted their friends through the crowd. They landed beside them, ignoring the gasps of the surrounding people as they realized they were in the presence of air benders. "What's going on you two?" Katara demanded to know.

"There's a fire nation drill headed right for the wall. Come on, we need to go find someone who is in charge," Aang said, and ran in the direction of the wall, away from the ferry docks. His companions swiftly followed closely behind.

When they reached the outer wall, and were far enough away from the ferry docks and all its guards, Aang and Toph earth bended a slab of rock to bring the group up along the wall like an elevator. Katara and Sokka gasped as they saw the drill in the distance, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

When they reached the top of the wall, two guards immediately jumped them with accusations and questions, ordering them to get off the wall, for they were not authorized to be there. "I'm the Avatar," Aang explained, and then said, "Take me to someone who is in charge."

"It is an honor to welcome you to the outer wall, Avatar- but, your help is not needed," said General Sung, the man who was in charge of defending the outer wall. The group was shocked to hear his response.

"General Sung, the fire nation is hours away from infiltrating Ba Sing Se! How do you plan to stop them?" Ashlynn questioned seriously.

"I have the situation quite under control, I assure you! It is impossible for the fire nation to penetrate this city, no matter how great their weapons may be! Many have tried to break through the wall- all in vain, I'm afraid," General Sung said as he walked along the top of the wall, speaking solemnly to the great.

"What about the Dragon of the West? He got in," Toph reminded the general.

"If you want to get technical, then yes! However, he was quickly… er… disposed of," the general assured them. Ashlynn raised one eyebrow in disbelief, growing more and more irritated the more he talked. How was it that he didn't need the Avatar's help?

"You see- This is why the city is named Ba Sing Se… It means 'the impenetrable city'."

"Thanks for the run-down, but we still got the drill problem," Toph sighed, just as annoyed as Ashlynn was. "Not for long, let me assure you. I've sent an exceptionally powerful elite team of earth benders called The Terra Team to take care of this problem. All we do now is wait and watch," the general said as he turned to survey the drill as it slowly progressed towards the city.

Ashlynn looked over the wall as well, and saw The Terra Team down below, bending rocks and trying to dispose of the drill. After several moments Ashlynn sighed as she recognized two enemies depart from the drill and begin to take out the Terra Team: Mai and Ty Lee. One by one, the two of them took out every earth bender with ease. Ashlynn knew Azula had to be close by.

"We're doomed!" cried General Sung as he watched his fighters collapse one at a time. "Would you like the Avatar's help now?" Toph groaned, hoping he'd admit defeat and request their assistance. General Sung nodded his head, ashamed that he hadn't taken their offer in the first place.

"Alright, good. Now- the question is this: how are we going to stop that thing?" Aang asked, and looked up at Sokka. Katara and Ashlynn followed Aang's gaze, and Sokka frowned at each and every one of them.

"Why are you all looking at me?" he questioned warily.

"Well, you are the one in this group that comes up with ideas," Ashlynn shrugged at him.

"What's wrong with him? He doesn't look injured!" General Sung asked Katara as she used her water bending to heal one of the 'wounded' soldiers. All who had fallen in combat were brought to the infirmary of the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, and all were being tended to. Katara was one of those whom were trying to help heal the earth benders.

"His chi is blocked. Who did this to you?" Katara asked the soldier whom she was currently healing. The man groaned and stretched an arm as he began to retain feeling in his muscles. He looked up at Katara and said, "Two girls ambushed us. One of them hit me with a couple of quick jabs, and then I couldn't earth bend, and I could barely move."

"Ty Lee," Ashlynn explained. Katara nodded in response, and said, "She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. She sort of takes you down from the inside, I suppose."

Suddenly Sokka began to shout with excitement, and everyone jumped in surprise as they all turned to look at Sokka, each with a quizzical look on their face. "What you just said! That's how we're going to take down the drill! The same way Ty Lee took out The Terra Team!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah- by hitting its pressure points!" Toph grinned as she began to understand Sokka's master plan.

"Right- we'll take it down from the inside," Aang agreed.

The group departed from the outer wall and ran to meet the drill head-on. The plan was for Toph to create a cover by earth-bending dust around the area so that anyone on this inside would be unable to see them. Then, they were going to make their way up into the drill, and begin to take it down.

"With this cover, not only will the people inside not be able to see, but you all won't be able to either- so, stay close to me," Toph said. Everyone nodded, and waited for her actions. When the drill was closer, Toph slammed a single foot into the ground, and dirt rose up all around them. "Run!" Toph cried out, and ran directly into the cloud of dirt. Her companions were quick to follow her.

When they came out on the other side of the dirt cloud, Toph quickly bended a hole in the ground for each to drop into. Then, they followed Toph beneath the ground as she made her way to the center of the underbelly of the drill, and brought everyone back up onto the solid surface of the earth. There was an opening underneath the drill for them to climb up into. Aang jumped up into the opening first, and proceeded to help lift his companions inside. That is, all aside Toph, who demanded to stay outside where she could 'see'.

Once inside, the group began to follow Sokka, awaiting his orders. "I need a plan of this machine, some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then- we can find its weak points," Sokka said as he looked around at all the machinery that surrounded the group. Suddenly, Sokka used his machete to strike at a wheel on top of a pipe within the drill, causing it to break off and roll away. Steam began to vent through the broken spot on the pipe.

"What are you doing? Someone's going to hear us!" Aang cried out over the hissing steam. "That's the point! A machine this big needs engineers to fix it- so when something breaks they come to fix it," Sokka shouted back, and hid behind a set of pipes. Ashlynn crouched beside him and Aang beside her. Katara hid behind another set of pipes and waited for a mechanic to come fix the problem.

After a few moments a shirtless, muscular man wearing a gas mask entered the room. He held a map of the drill within one hand. Yet, before he could unroll it, Katara quickly used the steam in the room to bend a tight ice formation around the man. Sokka leapt out from his hiding place, and pulled the schematics free from the engineer's hand. Then, he ran away, and his companions swiftly followed him.

"So? Now what's the plan?" Ashlynn asked as Sokka unrolled the map and displayed it before them. He studied it for a moment and then said, "It looks like it's made up of two main structures: the inner mechanism where we are now, and the outer shell. The inner part and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we break the braces the entire thing will collapse."

Ashlynn's head swam as she tried to figure out how Sokka's mind worked so fast. She trusted that he knew what he was doing, however, and followed closely behind him as he led the group to the outer shell, where they would begin to cut through the braces and take the drill down.

"Oh wow- the braces look a lot bigger in person than they do in the plans," Ashlynn gasped as they reached the outer shell where the braces were held. "This is going to take us hours," Ashlynn muttered loud enough for Sokka to hear. "Nonsense, Katara and Aang can use their water bending to quickly slice through the braces. It'll get done in no time," Sokka reassured the group.

"I guess I'll sit back and stand guard," Ashlynn sighed as Katara and Aang began to cut through the first brace with Katara's bending water. Sokka stood by her side and watched his friends begin to work.

It was tedious work, but after many minutes, and a short break, Aang and Katara finally cut through the brace. It slid a few inches, and then was stuck on its bottom half. The drill creaked slightly, and the sound echoed through the outer shell, but no damage had been done otherwise.

"It's no use. At this rate we won't be able to do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall," Katara sighed as she wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. Aang, too, was sweating, and he said, "I'm not sure of how many more of those I have left in me. This is exhausting."

Suddenly, the whole drill began to shake, and a loud groaning noise sounded all around them. "Do you guys hear that? We took it down- let's get out of here, fast!" Sokka said, and turned around the leave the area as quick as he could. However, they were stopped as a voice on an intercom spoke and said, "Congratulations crew! The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se! Start the countdown to victory!"

"We need to move- and fast!" Ashlynn shouted at her companions, hoping Sokka had a better plan stored in his mind.

"Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through," Aang suggested. Everyone looked down at where he was sitting, and waited for him to describe his own plan to them. Aang looked up at Sokka and said, "Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't give 100 percent of your energy into any on strike. You've got to be quick, and accurate- hit a series of points to break your opponents stance. While he's weakened and taken aback, you deliver a final blow. His own weight becomes his downfall."

"So then you two just need to weaken the braces- not cut all the way through," Ashlynn followed, and Aang nodded in response to indicate she was correct in her assumption. "Then I can go to the top of the drill and deliver a final blow. Then, it'll all come crashing down," Aang replied confidently. "Alright, let's get to work then," Katara said, and they swiftly ran to the next brace.

Ashlynn and Sokka followed close behind, keeping tabs on how long they were taking, how many braces they'd cut through, and how much each needed to be cut through. Finally, they cut through the last one, and began to prepare to go to the top of the drill and deliver the final blow.

"Good work team Avatar! Now all Aang has to do is---" Sokka began to say, but shouted in surprise as he narrowly dodged a ball of fire that was shot straight at him. Ashlynn looked up to see Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, who had found them at last. Azula cast another ball of fire at Aang, who quickly dispersed it with some air.

"Wow Azula, you were right- It is the Avatar!" Ashlynn heard Ty Lee say.

"Come on, we need to get out of her, or else Aang won't be able to deliver the final blow in time," Ashlynn said to her friends, and they quickly began to run for a doorway. Azula and her friends followed closely behind them.

When they reached an intersection in the first hallway they came to, Aang ran to the right while the others ran to the left. "Go on without me you guys, I know what I need to do," Aang exclaimed. Katara tossed him her water pouch, and Aang took off towards the top of the drill. Katara then followed her brother down the hall, while Ashlynn brought up the rear. Ashlynn could hear Azula's voice say, "You two follow that group, the Avatar is mine!"

The hallway they ran down brought them to a dead end. Ashlynn turned around and held her staff out before her, preparing for Mai and Ty Lee to show up at any second. "What's this pipeline for?" Katara asked, and Sokka examined it. He opened it up and said, "It's dirt mixed with water down there- it means our way out of here!"

"Well get down there, quickly! Mai and Ty Lee are catching up," Ashlynn shouted at them, and she ran to the edge of the pipeline as she waited for the two siblings to jump down into the mud below. Ashlynn swiftly bended a gust of air at Mai and Ty Lee, distracting them for a moment while she jumped down into the muck below. She swam after Katara and Sokka as they made their way to the outside of the drill.

Finally, the mud brought them well outside of the drill. Ashlynn fell to the ground, and she groaned as she felt new bruises being formed on her back and behind. She was covered in water and mud, and she could barely stand up without slipping and nearly falling over once again. She grasped her shirt and attempted to clean the sludge off her face. Once she could see again, she saw Katara bending the water that was pouring out of the drill back into it. Ashlynn assumed this way to keep Ty Lee at bay, for she was stuck in the built-up water at the tail end of the drill.

"Keep that up Katara! The pressure will build up in the drill, so when Aang delivers the final blow it'll be ready to pop!" Sokka exclaimed as he cheered his sister on.

"Ashlynn!" Sokka said suddenly as he noticed his friend struggling to stand up. He stomped his way over to her, trying his hardest not to slip and fall as well. When he reached her he grasped her hand tightly and helped her stand up straight. He brought her arm around his neck, and placed an arm around her waist to keep her steady. "All we have to do now is wait, and hope," Sokka murmured to her. Ashlynn gazed up at Ty Lee and hoped that Aang would deliver the final blow soon.

"Need some help?" said a familiar voice after a few minutes. Ashlynn brought her attention below the drill to where the voice was coming from, and she smiled as she recognized Toph.

"Toph, help me plug up this hole!" Katara requested. Instantly, Toph took a stance within the muck on the ground, and helped to build up the pressure inside the drill. The power of both their bending combined forced the sludge to back up entirely into the drill so that they could no longer see Ty Lee.

"Come on Aang- hurry!" Ashlynn whispered to herself, although she figured Sokka could hear her too.

Suddenly, an explosion of mud and water exploded from the front of the drill and covered a large portion of the outer wall, stretching all the way up to the top. Sokka cheered as a second explosion of mud and water occurred within the drill. Ashlynn followed his cheering as a third explosion came. "Here it comes!" Toph shouted over the sounds of the explosions and the sounds of the machine. She bended a platform of earth around them, and rose them high up above the drill, so that when the final explosion of sludge blasted through the back of the drill they wouldn't be hit by it.

The four of them cheered as the final explosion came forth at a high speed from the tail end of the drill- Ty Lee with it. The mud carried her straight to the pillar that Katara, Ashlynn, Sokka, and Toph stood upon, and she slammed against it and cried out in pain as the side of her face made contact with the rock as well.

Finally, the drill began to crack in several places, and the sounds of the machine slowly came to a halt. The drill had been destroyed.

"Good work today team Avatar," Sokka said as he gazed out at the destroyed drill.

The sun was beginning to dip down behind the distant mountains, and the team looked out at the work they'd done together from atop the outer wall. They each stood in a line with their arms about one another's necks. Mud still stained their clothes, but Toph had been able to bend the majority of the earth off their bodies.

Exhausted, but proud of their work, the team turned around, and began to make their way into the city of Ba Sing Se.


	30. Book 2 Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_  
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion..._

* * *

"Look, we're almost to the inner wall," Katara exclaimed.

Katara's voice sounded through Ashlynn's mind and she jolted awake. Sokka, who was sitting next to her, jumped as well, startled that she'd awoke so suddenly. Ashlynn apologized, and Sokka returned with a small chuckle. He pointed outside the window behind them, and Ashlynn turned around to look outside the window of the earth-made train.

Sure enough, they were beginning to close in on Ba Sing Se. Ashlynn felt both excited, and nervous. She was returning to her original home, yet she had no recollection of it. She was relieved they'd all made it there together, but was worried they wouldn't leave the same way. How long would it take to get the earth king on their side?

Ashlynn turned back around to face the rest of her companions, and she relaxed again. She let out a small yawn, and rubbed her eyes; she felt as though she'd never been more tired in her life. She was more than looking forward to being able to take a rest from fighting, to resupply their goods, to bathe, and to sleep through all hours of the day.

Ashlynn glanced over at Katara who was gazing sorrowfully at Aang. Ashlynn brought her attention to Aang's face, and frowned when she realized he was sulking. It was more than likely that he was having doubts that they'd find Appa in Ba Sing Se. Ashlynn didn't speak her mind, but she, too, felt like there were little chances of finding their missing friend. After all, Ba Sing Se was a very large city.

"He's a giant bison, where can someone possibly keep him hidden without anyone noticing?" Sokka said, attempting to give Aang a little more hope. Without saying a word, Aang gazed outside the window again as the earth vehicle entered the city. The enormousness of Ba Sing Se was enough to shut Sokka up, and he too began to have his doubts.

Ashlynn stood up and joined Sokka, Katara, and Aang in poking their heads out the window to get the best view they could. Ashlynn's heart pounded as they soared along the tracks, and she was in shock- Ba Sing Se stretched as far as her eyes could see. Even when living in the Fire Nation, she'd never seen a city so big. She couldn't believe how so much could be hidden behind one wall.

The train slowly came to a stop, and the team departed from their ride. Toph sighed and said, "Back in the city… Great."

"What's the matter, Toph? This place is amazing!" Sokka retorted as he gaped at the surrounding city. There was so much to take in at once, and so much to look at.

"All it is is more walls and rules. Just wait- you'll get tired of it within a few days," Toph frowned as she, too, 'viewed' the city with her feet.

"Appa's here, I can feel it!" Aang declared, and blew on his bison-shaped whistle. No nearby disturbance was made, and no sound was heard- that is, except for one small woman who approached them eagerly with a grin spread across her face.

"Hello! My name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. You must be Sokka, Katara, Ashlynn, and Toph! Welcome to our wonderful city- shall we begin our tour?" Joo Dee announced, never lowering her grin while speaking in the happiest tone a single person could produce.

"Yes- we have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the earth king immediately," Sokka demanded instantly. Joo Dee responded, "Great! Let's get started. Then, I will show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it."

Then, Joo Dee turned around to begin to show them around. Sokka let out a cry of frustration, approached Joo Dee once more, and said, "Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the king about the war. It's important." Joo Dee grinned widely at him and replied, "You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here."

"Just drop it for now, Sokka," Ashlynn muttered to him. He frowned, and followed Joo Dee. The rest of the team trailed behind them.

* * *

Joo Dee brought them to their own horse-drawn carriage that was to show them all the vital and intriguing parts of the city. As they travelled around the various markets, homes, and other buildings, Joo Dee described all the high and low points of Ba Sing Se.

"What's the wall for?" Katara asked as they rode past a wall of the city. Joo Dee responded, "Ba Sing Se has many walls! There's the one outside protecting us, and the one inside that helps us maintain order."

"Why are all these poor people blocked off into this one part of the city?" Ashlynn inquired as they passed several beggars out on the street with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the cups in their hands.

"This is why I never came to Ba Sing Se. I always heard it was different from the way the monks taught us to live," Aang said as he looked down upon the people weeping in the streets. Ashlynn could read his expression well, and knew he wanted to exit the carriage and help every single one of them. Ashlynn, too, wanted to help, but knew that they'd be helping them all by taking down the fire lord.

Next, the carriage brought them to the middle ring. "This ring is the home to the financial district, restaurants, and the Ba Sing Se University," Joo Dee explained.

"Hey, we met a professor from Ba Sing Se University. He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the king to hear!" Sokka shouted at Joo Dee, hoping she'd finally get the message. Instead, Joo Dee maintained her wide grin and said, "Isn't history fascinating? Look- there's town hall! It's one of the oldest buildings in Ba Sing Se." Then, Joo Dee departed from the carriage, expecting Aang and his companions to follow.

"Is that woman deaf? It seems like she only hears every other word I say," Sokka complained as he watched Joo Dee walk away and await for them to follow her. "It's called being handled; get used to it," Toph snorted as she crossed her arms in disapproval. Ashlynn was beginning to get irritated as well.

* * *

After showing everyone through Town Hall, Joo Dee ordered the carriage to bring the team to the upper ring. "The upper ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not too far from here," she explained. Ashlynn's heart leapt at the sound of 'home', and wished she could collapse on a real bed for a change.

"Wow- what's the large building for?" Katara asked as they began to pass by an enormous building with a few serious men outside of it conversing. Sokka questioned about who the men were, as well.

Joo Dee said, "Inside is the royal palace, and those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions."

"Can we see the king now?" Aang questioned demandingly. Joo Dee released a loud giggle, and Ashlynn cringed at the sound. She secretly wished they could be rid of their tour guide now.

"Oh no! One doesn't just 'pop' in on the earth king!" Joo Dee giggled again, and her grin grew even wider. Aang began to sulk again, and Katara wrapped an arm around him in comfort.

* * *

"Here we are- your new home!"

Ashlynn smiled as she stepped out of the carriage and looked up at a fancy home that stood before her. She grew more excited to eat real food, sleep in a real bed, and take a real bath.

"More good news- your request for an audience with the earth king is being processed, and should be put through in about a month!" Joo Dee smiled at Aang as she read through a scroll that the driver of the carriage had given to her.

"A month?!" Sokka cried out in disbelief. Joo Dee laughed nervously and said, "Six to eight weeks, actually. Look, let's go see inside your house!" Joo Dee walked up the steps and opened the front door to their home, and stepped aside to grant them passage first.

Ashlynn walked inside and she immediately felt more relaxed as she saw the sofas around the first room. She set her pack and staff down next to one, and sprawled out across the sofa.

"Isn't it nice? I think you'll all like it very much," Joo Dee beamed at the group.

"I think we'd enjoy more if we weren't staying so long. Can't we see the king any sooner?" Sokka questioned. Joo Dee, still grinning from ear to eat, said, "The king is very busy running the finest city in the world! But he will see you as soon as time permits."

"If we're going to be here for a month then we should spend our time looking for Appa," Aang declared.

"I'd be happy to escort you to anywhere you'd like to go!" Joo Dee offered and gave a respectful bow in Aang's direction.

"We don't need a babysitter," Toph spat. "But to leave you alone would make me a bad host! Where should we start?" Joo Dee inquired.

Ashlynn requested to stay behind while Joo Dee escorted Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph to different locations throughout the city. Much to her surprise, Joo Dee didn't object. Did she believe Ashlynn when she said she would stay within their new home?

Ashlynn bid her companions farewell, and when they'd left she bolted for the bath. She filled the tub with warm water, and quickly stripped herself of her clothing. She cautiously stepped into the warm water, and sighed as she sank below its surface, keeping her head just above the top. She couldn't recall the last time she'd had a real bath, and was relieved she could experience another one at last. She took her time scrubbing the dirt off her body, and cleaning her hair as best as she could.

When she was done her hair had regained much of its shimmering red color, and had lost all the brown that the dirt in her hair had given her. She took her time brushing it out, ridding herself of all its tangles before tying it into a bun that sat neatly upon her head.

She wrapped a towel around her body, and tossed her old, withered clothes to the side, hoping there were new outfits awaiting her inside the closet in one of the bedrooms. She opened the doors to the closet, and grinned as she saw a few spare clothes folded neatly inside.

She then put on a red halter top that hung above her stomach, revealing the slightest line of skin. The top fit tightly about her body, and showed off her feminine features, and heightened the vibrant color of her hair. She tugged black leather gloves over her hands, and pulled them just past her wrists, and pushed her fingers through the openings in gloves, indicating it was meant to be fingerless. This way she could avoid obtaining blisters in her palms.

Next came simple black pants that stopped in-between her knees and ankles. She then finished her outfit by slipping on a new pair of black moccasins, slipped two gold hoops through her ear lobes, and pushed two chopsticks through the bun that sat upon her head. She then sat down in front of a mirror to enhance the colors on her face with a few beauty products that was left for herself, Katara, and Toph.

Then, she paced over to the sofa, sat down, and waited for her friends to return from their search for Appa.

* * *

"I wonder if this is why everyone's been so scared to talk about Appa."

Ashlynn awoke with a start as she heard her companions walking into their new home. She stretched, and went to greet them. "Did you guys have any luck?" Ashlynn inquired, and Sokka shook his head. Ashlynn frowned, and sat back down on the sofa.

"The guy living in the house across from us told us we can't talk about the war here. He also made it seem like the Dai Li are a dangerous crowd, and that we should stay away from them," Katara explained. Ashlynn glanced out the nearby window to catch a glimpse of the small home that stood apart from theirs.

"Maybe the reason we can't mention the war is the same reason Joo Dee keeps ignoring Sokka every time he asks her about it," Ashlynn suggested. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Well, they can't stop us for long- once we get to see the Earth King we'll tell him everything we know," Ashlynn declared.

"Well, Joo Dee said someone would bring dinner by later. It seems you've got a head start on bathing, Ashlynn. How about the rest of us wash up before we eat," Katara suggested. Her companions, aside Ashlynn, nodded, and then she took off to go wash the grime off her skin.

"So where did you guys ask around at?" Ashlynn asked as Sokka tugged off his shoes and collapsed on another sofa.

"We went to a pet shop, and the university. Everyone was scared to talk about the war, and about Appa, and the black market. I get the feeling maybe Joo Dee intimidated everybody," Sokka explained. "I wonder if it's possible for us to ask around without Joo Dee following us everywhere," Ashlynn pondered, and Sokka shrugged.

"I think while we're in Ba Sing Se we should resupply some of our goods. I could use a pair of daggers, or maybe a sword. They already replaced my old clothes so I don't have to worry about that," Ashlynn said, attempting to keep conversation going. Sokka shrugged, and closed his eyes. Ashlynn sighed, and shut her mouth, allowing her friends to gain some peace and quiet.

* * *

The remainder of the evening was spent with everyone alternating between baths, and then consuming their dinner. Once dinner was finished, everyone claimed a bed or a sofa, and drifted into a deep slumber.

In the morning Katara awoke everyone was an excited cry as she said, "I know how we're going to see the Earth King!"

"And how do you propose we do that? One doesn't just 'pop' in on the earth king," Toph said with a voice and grin to imitate Joo Dee's exaggerated smiles and voice tones. Ashlynn sat up from her sleeping spot and rubbed her eyes as she tried to focus on Katara and hear her new plan.

"The king is having a party tonight for his pet bear. The palace will be packed- we can sneak in with the crowd! No one will notice us," Katara explained as she held out a flyer that gave the details about the party.

"It won't work," Toph said instantly, nearly deflating the subject entirely.

"Why not?" Katara questioned furiously.

"No offense to you simple country folk, but a real society crowd would spot you a mile away. You've got no manners," Toph explained to Katara as she picked the dirt from one toenail.

"You're telling me that I'm the one with no manners? You're not necessarily one to talk," Katara accused defensively, jabbing the air with one finger as she spoke to Toph.

Toph released a single belch and said, "I learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it. You never learned anything, and frankly it's a little too late. The only one here aside myself who could 'maybe' pull it off is Ashlynn, and that's because she used to live as a princess. But it's been years, so it's rather skeptical in my opinion."

"Well, you did learn it, so why don't you teach us?" Sokka suggested. Toph released a single laugh and responded, "Look, I could probably teach Katara, and refresh Ashlynn's mind, but I couldn't teach you boys a single thing. You'd be lucky to pass as bus boys."

"Alright, then we'll devise a plan to work around it. Toph, Katara- let's go and train in the art of mannerisms!" Ashlynn exclaimed with a grin. Then, she, Katara, and Toph scurried off to a nearby room to prepare, leaving their male friends behind.

* * *

The three ladies spent the day preparing for the party in the evening. When it came close to the hour of the party, Katara and Ashlynn designed flawless outfits that were appropriate for elegant party-wear. Each wore graceful, stylish gowns with intricate designs. Katara applied make-up to Ashlynn's and Toph's face, and Ashlynn did the same for Katara. They beautified one another's hair, and slipped on delicate shoes.

When they were satisfied, they departed from their room, and presented themselves to the men. Their looks of astonishment and shock were enough to make all three women giggle.

"You look beautiful," Aang muttered as he blushed, no doubt speaking of Katara. Sokka nodded his head in apparent agreement, and Ashlynn blushed as she felt his gaze drawn towards her.

"First rule of society, don't talk to the commoners," Toph demanded as she spread out a fan and covered the lower half of her face with it. Ashlynn and Katara copied her, hiding their smiles from the two boys. "Let's go," Toph said, and made her way towards the door.

"We'll get into the party and then find a way to let you two in through the side gate," Katara reminded her fellow friends of their well-devised plan. They nodded, and watched as the three women departed from their home.

* * *

The party was indeed as crowded as could be, and the three girls were forced to wait in a long line before reaching the front. The man that stood in front of the entrance required for them to present their invitation to him. Instead, Toph presented her family's seal to him, insisting it was enough, and that she should be considered an honored guest. The man shook his head, and demanded she hand over their invitations, or else they were to leave the line.

"Well, now what?" Ashlynn pondered as they stepped to the side. Katara looked around her, and then grinned as an idea formed in her mind. "Follow me," she said, and took off towards a horse-drawn carriage that was stopping to drop a man off at the party. "Play along," she whispered to Ashlynn as she approached the man.

"Sir? I'm sorry to bother you, but, my cousin lost our invitations- she's blind. Do you think you could help us?" Katara asked innocently. Ashlynn placed her hands on Toph's shoulders and said, "Our families are inside, and I'm sure they're very worried about all of us."

The man bowed respectfully and replied, "I am honored. Please, come with me." Ashlynn and Katara exchanged hopeful glances, and followed the man as he walked inside, granting them passage to the party.

The inside was just as crowded as the outside, only there were several long tables that stretched about the room. Food littered the tops of every table, and a single, massive bear sat at the end of one. Ashlynn assumed he was the king's bear, and she giggled to herself as she watched him eat all the food he could grab.

"Beautiful party, isn't it? By the way, I'm Long Feng. I'm a cultural minister to the king," the man that had escorted them inside introduced himself with a soft smile. Katara smiled up at him and said, "I'm Qua Mai." Ashlynn curtsied lightly and introduced herself as Song. Toph said nothing, and didn't look up at Long Feng either, although he didn't seem to mind. Perhaps he understood how horrid her blindness was; perhaps he thought her deaf as well.

"Where is your family? I'd love to meet them," Long Feng said as he scanned the various people, searching for the group that might be their family. Katara scanned the crowd too, and Ashlynn followed her example. "I don't see them," Ashlynn said, and grasped Toph's hand. Toph clasped her hand in response. "I guess we'll go look for them, thanks for all your help Long Feng," Katara said, and took off towards the crowd. Ashlynn tugged Toph behind her, and followed Katara.

Yet, Long Feng pursued them, declaring, "Don't worry- as your escort it would be dishonorable for me to abandon you ladies without finding your family first. We'll keep looking." Long Feng then began to walk towards a crowd, motioning for them to follow him. Ashlynn shrugged at Katara, whom sighed and followed Long Feng. Ashlynn and Toph followed Katara.

* * *

"I found Aang and Sokka," Toph whispered to Ashlynn. Ashlynn nodded and said, "I'm going to go get my sister some refreshments." Long Feng didn't seem to notice, and Ashlynn pushed her way through a small pack of people. "Alright, where are they?" she whispered to Toph. Toph began to walk away from her, and Ashlynn followed quickly.

Sure enough, Sokka and Aang stood at the center of the room, dressed as waiters, handing out food and refreshment to anyone who would have it. "Great, you found us!" Aang exclaimed. "Thanks for letting us in," Sokka said sarcastically. Katara approached from behind Ashlynn and said, "Sorry, but the guy who let us in won't let us out of his sight!"

"What guy?" Sokka inquired. Ashlynn glowered, and looked behind her in search of Long Feng. Sure enough, he had vanished from their sight. "Maybe we've lost him for good," Ashlynn muttered, and Katara nodded to indicate her hopefulness.

"What are you doing here?" said a familiar voice, and Ashlynn turned back around and groaned as she recognized Joo Dee. "You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble!" she gasped as she pushed Sokka, trying to make him move towards the door.

"No, we're not leaving until we see the king," he demanded. "Really, you don't understand! Go!" Joo Dee cried, and shoved Sokka again. He stumbled backwards into Aang, who stumbled upon a lady behind him and spilled the bottle of refreshments on her. She screamed and gaped at Aang in surprise.

"No, please, I'm sorry, don't scream!" Aang pleaded, and bended a single gust of air at the woman to dry the drink from her clothes. "Oh, the Avatar! I didn't know the Avatar would be here!" the woman exclaimed with a smile. Her mentioning the Avatar brought the attention of everyone around them to Aang, and for the first time Joo Dee's grin dropped to a definite frown.

"Distract them Aang, I'll look for the king," Sokka whispered to him. Aang nodded, and bounced up onto a table. He water-bended various drinks that were many different colors, and created a swirl of colors above his head, and fascinated everyone around him. Even the king's bear was amused.

Several minutes passed, and suddenly a magnificent throne that was carried by four men grasping the handles that stretched outwards from the seat was brought out to the hall. Sokka shouted at Aang, saying he'd found the king. No doubt it was the king; no one's entrance had been so grand.

Aang dropped his water-colors back into their previous cups, and began to make his way towards the king. However, that's all Ashlynn was able to see, for suddenly two hands grasped her, one pressing over her mouth to silence her, and dragged her into the shadows behind her. Ashlynn watched as the crowd sped from her view, and no one seemed to notice her disappearing. She looked down, and saw that the hands clamped upon her body were made of earth- thus, and earth bender was taking her captive.

Ashlynn was released in a separate room in which Sokka, Katara, Toph, and even Momo were all waiting. The earthen hands shoved her into the room with such force that she fell to the floor. She felt the tight bun upon her head give way, and fall upon her shoulders. Sokka knelt beside her and helped her stand up. She glanced furiously around the room, wondering what had happened.

She was slightly surprised when Long Feng entered the room with Aang pacing curiously behind him. Long Feng sat down at the table before them, and Sokka instantly spoke up.

"Why won't you let us see the king?" Sokka shouted at Long Feng.

"We have information that could defeat the fire nation!" Ashlynn cried out in an attempt to help Sokka get his point across the Long Feng.

"The earth king doesn't have time to get involved with political squabbles, nor does he have the time to get involved in the military's activities," Long Feng explained without dropping the most serious tone he could procure.

"But this could be the most important thing he's ever heard!" Aang pleaded desperately.

"What's most important to His Royal Majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. That's his job; it's my job to oversee everything else, including the military," Long Feng described, and Ashlynn gasped as she realized exactly what he was saying.

Katara and Toph must have realized it too, for Katara said, "So he's just a figurehead!" and Toph shouted, "He's your puppet!"

"What? No! His Majesty is an icon- no, a God to his people! He can't dirty his hands with the endless changes of an ongoing war!" Long Feng retorted instantly. Sokka stepped forward and announced their discovery of the solar eclipse and the plan they had in store.

"Enough! I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan. It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned here. Constant news of an escalating war will lead the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a panic. Our economy will be ruined, our peaceful way of life, our traditions will disappear! In silence, and avoiding all conflict, Ba Sing Se remains as a peaceful, orderly utopia- the last one on Earth," Long Feng stated seriously, disallowing any further argument on the subject.

"You can't keep the truth from all these people! They have to know!" Ashlynn demanded, balling her hands into fists angrily. "I'll tell them all!" Aang threatened.

"Until now you've been treated as our honored guest. From now on, however, you will all be watched every minute by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone you will be expelled from the city. I understand you've been looking for your bison- it would be a shame if you weren't able to complete your quest," Long Feng threatened in return, and suddenly he reminded Ashlynn of a venomous snake, and the urge to run a blade through his chest began to overcome her. She glanced at Aang, and the look that was spread across his face made her wonder if he desired the same thing.

"Now that we've got that settled, Joo Dee will escort you home," Long Feng said as a woman entered the room. The woman, however, was not Joo Dee. Although she wore the same fake grin, her appearance was entirely different otherwise.

"Wait, what happened to Joo Dee?" Katara gasped as she recognized the differences in the new Joo Dee as well.

"I am Joo Dee. I'll be your host as long as you are in our wonderful city," the new Joo Dee said, and gave a courteous bow.

Then, she turned to depart from the room. The team gave one another confused, scared, and worried looks, and followed Joo Dee. They each glared at Long Feng as they left, whom returned their glare with one of his own as they disappeared from his sight.

Then, they made their way back to their home in Ba Sing Se.


	31. Book 2 Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Author's Note:** Here's a small treat for my readers. Not a vital chapter, just for fun and insight. Enjoy.

_[Leaves from the vine falling so slow,_

_Like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the foam._

_Little soldier boy, come marching home._

_Brave soldier boy comes marching home.]_

* * *

"Uncle, we have a problem!" Zuko hissed under his breath. He stepped behind the counter of the tea shop that he and Iroh worked in to converse with his uncle more privately. Iroh turned his head towards Zuko to indicate that he intended to listen to Zuko's complaints and worries with patient ears.

"What is it, my nephew?" Iroh murmured to Zuko as he stepped down from the ladder from which he stood. He placed the box he held in his hand onto the counter that stood before him, and looked Zuko in the eye while he waited for Zuko to explain his story.

"One of the customers is onto us," Zuko whispered, just loud enough for Iroh to hear him. He glanced over his should to take a peek at someone sitting inside the tea shop, and then turned back to his uncle. Iroh followed his gaze, and smiled lightly when he saw Zuko staring at a young woman sitting at a table in the farthest corner of their teashop.

"Don't look now, but that girl sitting in the corner knows we're fire nation," Zuko hissed, urging his uncle to withdraw his gaze from the young lady. Iroh chuckled, and turned around so he could no longer look at the girl, like his nephew had wished.

"I think you may be right Zuko- I see that girl in here a lot. If you ask me, I'd say she has quite the crush on you!" Iroh announced, and released a short boom of laughter afterwards. Zuko let out a sound of utter confusion, shock, and slight disgust as he took in his uncle's words. However, he was unable to come up with a retort, for the girl had approached the counter, hindering him from saying anything else about her.

"Thank you for the tea," the girl said, and held out a few silver coins. Zuko swiftly took them from her hand, and turned around, avoiding all eye contact with her. He placed the coins into a wooden box that they used to store their money, and he flinched when she spoke again. "What's your name?" she asked softly.

"My name is Lee," Zuko gulped as he turned back around to face her. As confused as he was by the young girl, he couldn't bear being rude to her. Besides, there was something familiar about her that intrigued him. He glanced at Iroh as he said, "My uncle and I just moved here." Iroh winked at him slyly, and Zuko scowled at him in response. The young girl before him didn't appear to notice.

"Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you again, and- well, I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime," she said, and looked up into Zuko's eyes. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from embarrassment, but she had a look of hopefulness about her. Zuko's eyes widened and his voice tightened as he tried to muster the strength to turn her down.

However, before he could say anything, Iroh interrupted their small conversation and accepted her invitation for him. Zuko was struck with the urge to slap his uncle across the face, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. Now, it was too late, and he had a date planned with Jin, and he had no way of getting out of it.

Jin beamed up at Zuko and his uncle as she said, "Great! I'll meet you in front of the shop at sundown. Sound good?" Iroh nodded in agreement and she clasped her hands together excitedly. She turned around, and paced out of the shop, although the happy atmosphere she gave off would make it seem as though she'd almost floated her way outside.

"Uncle, why would you do that? I don't even know her!" Zuko growled at his uncle as he grasped a sponge and began to scrub the countertops with such vigor that he could have made a gash in the shiny surface, had he not been using such soft material.

Iroh merely chuckled as he began to heat up another pot of tea. His silence irritated Zuko even more, but he couldn't find the voice to yell at his uncle even more. Instead, he continued to wash the counter before moving onward to serving more tea to their customers.

* * *

Later that evening, Iroh took Zuko to the nearest textiles shop. Iroh searched around for a formal outfit for Zuko to wear. After several minutes of pursuit, Iroh came across an impressive outfit that he thought suited Zuko the best. He bought it, and escorted Zuko back to their home above the tea shop.

The remainder of the evening was spent preparing Zuko for his date. Zuko dug his fingers into his thighs as his uncle stood over him and ran gel through his hair, flattening it back upon his head. After ten minutes, Iroh clapped his hands as he admired the work he'd done to Zuko's hair. Zuko stood up and examined himself in the nearest mirror.

He grimaced at his own appearance, and frowned as he looked at his outfit from head to toe. He thought he looked positively absurd, and the way his hair stuck to the top of his head made him appear even goofier in his eyes. Finally, Iroh handed him a card with a discount to their teashop, and told him to present it as a gift to Jin.

"She's our most valuable customer! I want to thank her for her generosity," Iroh said to Zuko. Zuko tucked the card into his pocket, and stepped outside the teashop. Iroh smiled at him, and gave him a small wave 'goodbye', and shut the door behind him.

Zuko looked from his left to his right in search of Jin, but she was nowhere to be seen. He sighed in annoyance, secretly wishing he didn't have to stand outside and wait for Jin to show up. Much to his satisfaction, he didn't have to wait too long, for Jin appeared from around a corner and approached him with a wide grin spread across her face.

"Aw, you look so cute!" Jin exclaimed with a small giggle as she ruffled a hand through Zuko's hair. He withheld himself from grunting with irritation as he felt the gel in his hair give way, loosening his hair, giving himself his ordinary appearance. He ran his hands through his hair to release the tangles and rid himself of the remaining gel. He sighed as he said, "It took my uncle ten minutes to do my hair."

Jin said nothing, but smiled simply at him as she took his arm and started to escort him to a place where they could sit down and grab a bite to eat.

The streets were littered with homeless people; people whose lives had been ruined by the fire nation. Everywhere Zuko walked there were men, women, and children of all ages lying out on the streets, and against walls. Zuko wondered to himself if they were happy just to get by with a small meal and the clothes on their back. He felt a pang of remorse as he walked by them, suddenly silently appreciated the small teashop and shelter he had been provided.

Jin guided Zuko to a small bistro that was off to the side of one alleyway. It wasn't very formal, although Zuko hadn't expected it to be. He lived in the slums of Ba Sing Se- he hardly believe there was any place elegant enough to be suitable for the perfect date. Yet, Jin appeared happy enough to be out with him, and so he concealed is disapproval.

They were seated at a lone table that stood near the entrance of the small restaurant. Zuko ordered their special for the evening, and Jin requested to be brought a bowl of noodles. Little conversation was exchanged as they waited for their food to arrive. Even when their food had arrived, Zuko continued to eat in silence as he picked at his plate of rations with a pair of chopsticks.

Jin eyed him up and down warily, and then displayed a friendly grin for Zuko. She opened her mouth to break the awkward silence and asked, "So how do you like the city so far?" She lifted her cup of hot tea and took a small sip from it as she waited for Zuko to respond.

Zuko continued to pick at his food while he tried to muster up a response. After a moment he responded, "It's okay." He stared down at his plate and avoided eye contact with Jin. She slurped her beverage as he spoke.

"What do you like to do for fun?" she inquired as she lowered her cup. The corners of her mouths still curved upwards as she tried to maintain her grin for Zuko. He glanced up at her from below his furrowed eyebrows, and relaxed for a moment as the warmth of her personality radiated towards him. He set his chopsticks down and replied, "Nothing." He felt apologetic, wishing he wasn't so nervous, and had more to say. She was trying her hardest, but he wasn't motivated enough to continue a conversation with her.

One of the waiters approached them, having seen that their food was nearly entirely consumed. Zuko looked up at the waiter as he asked, "Would you and your girlfriend like some dessert?" Zuko's temple pulsed with agitation after the waiter's question, and Zuko felt repulsed and offended. How could this man assume he was dating a girl he'd only just met?

"She's not my girlfriend!" Zuko shouted back at the man in defense. The man shot him an angry but apologetic look as he backed away, leaving Zuko alone with Jin again. Zuko, still frowning, turned back towards Jin, and instantly abandoned his frown as he gaped at the amount of food Jin was taking in. She held the bowl up close to her mouth, and was continuously shoving heaps of noodles into her mouth, hardly taking a moment to chew before swallowing.

"You have quite an appetite for a girl," Zuko uttered without thinking as he watched her consume the remainder of her dinner. She slowly set the bowl back down and began to blush. The redness that filled her cheeks gave Zuko a sense of familiarity once again, and he began to feel irritated as he tried to recall why it was so recognizable to him.

"Thanks?" Jin reacted to his comment. Zuko twiddled his thumbs, and said nothing, still feeling irritated, confused, nervous, and awkward. Jin gazed down at the table as she tried to conjure more questions to ask Zuko. After a moment she asked, hesitantly, "Where were you and your Uncle living before you came to Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko gulped as he was instantly placed on the spot. He hadn't had time or motivation to think of a back-up story to tell people if they asked. His uncle hadn't thought to think of something to tell Jin either, if she'd asked, and it made him even more nervous. He stumbled over his own words as he tried to say, "We've been travelling around for some time." He glanced at Jin to see if she'd bought his lies. She appeared intrigued, and he felt relieved.

"Oh? Why were you travelling so much?" she questioned curiously. Zuko felt the urge to both laugh and shout at Jin. It was comical that she pressed her questions further, yet irritating at the same time- why was his personal life her business?

"We were… Part of this travelling circus," Zuko said and gathered the strength to give her a half-smile. She grinned back at him, more curious than ever. Zuko's half-smile slowly became a real smile, although a small one, as he felt she was more and more familiar to him, and he became more and more comfortable.

"Really? What'd you do? No, wait- let me guess!" Jin giggled, and then her face became a stern, thoughtful appearance. She tapped a single finger against her lips as she pondered what Zuko's specialty as a circus member could have been. She snapped her fingers as a thought came to her. "You juggled, didn't you?" she laughed.

Zuko crossed arms and decided that if she thought he juggled, then there was no reason why he shouldn't go along with it. After all, it'd be less for him to have to make-up. "Yes, I juggled," he responded, confirming her assumptions. His tone was sarcastic, but she didn't notice.

"That's so wonderful! I've always wanted to learn how to juggle," she said, and her smile grew wider as she spoke to him. He maintained a serious focus on her, and allowed their eyes to lock once. Then, he realized her eyes were a stunning green color, and thus he found himself more drawn to staring into her eyes. "Can you show me something?" Jin asked as she picked up a few empty goblets and held them out towards him.

Jin seemed to glow, then, as she smiled up at Zuko and held out the objects for him to juggle. He stared at her, and felt his mouth drop a slight amount as he watched her mousy hair turn red, and a few of her facial features changed slightly. Her green eyes stared up at him hopefully, and he gazed into her eyes as he realized he was looking at Ashlynn. He blinked once, and the image vanished, and Jin was the one sitting before him once again.

Realizing that Jin reminded him of Ashlynn made him feel completely relaxed, and he took the goblets without hesitation. Suddenly, he was filled with the desire to make her smile, and to laugh. Although he did not know how to juggle, he tossed the goblets into the air as he gave it one attempt. As he suspected would happen, the goblets fell with a crash around them. Jin gasped and brought a hand to her mouth to hide her smile as she laughed quietly.

"Sorry, I haven't practiced in a while," Zuko told her as he picked the cups back up and placed them neatly on the table. He couldn't believe how comfortable he felt with her, now, and he was not ashamed that he'd messed up.

"It's alright. Hey, Lee, listen- I'd like to show you my favorite place in the city," Jin said as she stood up from the table. Zuko stared up at her, and was drawn to her small smile and soft eyes. For an instant he saw Ashlynn in her again, but once he blinked it was gone. He stood up, and she took his hand, and guided him to where she wanted to go.

* * *

Zuko took several glances upwards towards the sky to get a view of stars and the moon. They shimmered brightly upon him and Jin as she dragged him down alleyways towards her favorite part of the city. Zuko was overcome with the feeling that the stars and moon were giving off a romantic vibe that he wasn't very fond of. He didn't view Jin in that way, although he felt guilty for it.

"I'm so excited for you to see the Firelight Fountain," Jin said as she ran towards the spot. She turned back to look at him as she ran down one alleyway and shot him a flirtatious smile. It was dark, and still her face seemed to glow. The more Zuko ran with her, the more he wished he were with Ashlynn. "The lamps make the water sparkle, and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way," she sighed as she turned back around to make sure she was still going the right way. Zuko's heart began to beat faster as more images of Ashlynn flashed through his mind. His desire to be with her grew stronger and stronger, and his mind floated away from Jin the more he thought about Ashlynn.

The sound of running water interrupted Zuko's thoughts, and he and Jin slowed down to a stop. She gasped with utter disappointment as she looked around them. A glorious fountain stood before them, and there were lampposts surrounding it. Jin revealed the obvious as she said with disappointment, "I can't believe it- they aren't lit!" Her face sank with sadness, and Zuko's heart sank with her. An image of Ashlynn's disheartened face pierced Zuko's mind like a sharp arrow. It stung him internally, and he was overwhelmed with the need to make Jin happy.

Although she was not Ashlynn, she was the closest thing to her that Zuko could come to.

"Close your eyes," Zuko said, and Jin's face lit up again as she was filled with curiosity and anticipation. She shut her eyes like she was told, and when Zuko made sure she wasn't peeking, he surveyed the lanterns around the fountain. He inhaled deeply, and began to swiftly shoot out small flames towards every lantern. The flames hit the wicks of the candles within the lanterns, and the whole area lit up and glowed a brilliant orange color.

Zuko approached the fountain cautiously, and smiled as he saw that the lamps did make the water sparkle. He turned around to face Jin, and allowed her to open her eyes. When she did she gasped as she took in the magnificent view before her. "Wow," she sighed with shock as she approached the fountain. "What happened? How did they light? What did you do?" she laughed, and her face lit up again with a wide and attractive smile.

Zuko said nothing as he turned to face the fountain. He couldn't help but smile as well as he gazed at the fountain, then the lamps, and then the sky. His small smile fell as he felt Jin grasp his hand. Nervous, he didn't return the gesture, but he did turn to face her. His heart pounded as she took a step towards him. However, before she could do anything, Zuko promptly presented the coupon to the teashop to her.

"Lee, this is so sweet," she beamed as she took the coupon from his hand. He released his other hand from her grasp and took a step back. He watched as she tucked the coupon into the folds of her dress, and then he turned away from her.

"Don't thank me- it was my uncle's idea," Zuko rapidly explained. He gazed down into the pool of the fountain as he said, "He thinks you're our most valuable customer." Jin replied with a hearty laugh, and said, "Your uncle is a good teacher."

Then, Jin took a step towards Zuko again, only this time he did not move. She placed a hand upon one of his cheeks, and drew his face towards her. He looked down at her, and his heartbeat sped up as he realized he was gazing down at Ashlynn once again. He blinked, and this time the image didn't disappear. Sadness overwhelmed him as he longed for the vision to last for eternity.

"I have something for you too. Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

Even Jin's voice had transformed to match Ashlynn's vocals. Putting too much trust and comfort into his imagination, he closed his eyes as Jin had requested. He yearned for her to speak again, for he desired to hear Ashlynn's comforting voice sound through his ears.

Instead of speaking again, she took a single step forward and lightly placed her lips upon his. His heart skipped a single beat, and he craved more as she took a step back. He responded by stepping forward, and returning the kiss lightly. His insides were flooded with a variety of motions within the next second that passed.

He'd never kissed Ashlynn before, although he'd thought of it many times in the past. Now that it was happening, his heart fluttered in ways he hadn't thought possible. Yet, he felt remorseful; for he knew the last time they'd spoken he'd been harsh towards her. She wanted to draw her into his arms and apologize for all the times he'd hurt her. He wanted to cry, and wanted her to be with him for the rest of the evening. Then, suddenly, he remembered that the girl before him wasn't Ashlynn, but Jin.

He broke their contact abruptly and stumbled backwards several feet away from Jin. He gawked at her in disbelief and utter shock. He was engulfed with the powerful need to set the entirety of Ba Sing Se on fire. He wanted to run away and find the real Ashlynn. He felt ashamed for using the innocent girl before him, even if it was for a split second. It hurt that he hadn't actually kissed Ashlynn, and that he couldn't tell her he was sorry. He wanted to collapse onto a bed and sleep for the rest of time.

"What's wrong?" Jin stammered as she watched Zuko back away from her. The sadness in her face no longer affected Zuko, and he wanted to get away from her. It hurt to be near her, and he suppressed tears as he said, "It's complicated." He knew there was no other way to explain his problems to Jin. "I have to go," he said finally, and without another word he fast-walked down the nearest alleyway, leaving Jin far behind.

* * *

"How was your night Prince Zuko?"

Iroh was heating up another pot of tea when Zuko had returned home. Zuko, still ashamed, furious, confused and pained, stormed towards his bedroom. He tore open the sliding doors to where his single bed lay before him. He slammed the doors behind him, and collapsed on its white surface. He moaned silently as he shook with rage and sadness, and grasped his arms to help calm him down. Once he felt slightly better, he opened one door a single inch, and said to his uncle, "It was nice."

Then, he shut the door again, and rolled over to lie on his back. He placed his arms behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling, allowing his mind to be swallowed by images and memories of his missing companion.

As he recalled their last meeting, and his evident cruelness towards her, he allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek. Then, wiping the tear from his face, he shut his eyes, and drifted off into a deep slumber, in which he dreamt of his old friend Ashlynn.


	32. Book 2 Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air… Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, and air-bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, the blind earth-bender, Toph, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion…_

Ashlynn smiled down at the paper before her as she admired her newest piece of art. She grasped its sides and held it upward so she could see each line better. She felt her back stretch as she propped herself up onto her elbows, and let her feet wiggle in the air behind her. "Look, Sokka," she pestered triumphantly, and tilted her picture of Appa so Sokka could see it.

Sokka wrinkled his nose and furrowed his eyebrows as he surveyed the picture. He looked down at his own, and then back at Ashlynn's, and scowled as he crumpled his paper and tossed it to the side. "Since you're quite the artist, why don't you do all the drawing? That way I can spend my time relaxing," he said as he watched Ashlynn withdraw the paper from him.

"Your art looks fine," Ashlynn lied as her eyes scanned the various papers strewn across the floor. She placed her paper neatly by its side, and then rolled over onto her back and let out a small stretch. "It doesn't have to look perfect you know. Just so long as people can tell it's a massive, furry bison with an arrow on its head," she said as she watched Sokka grasp another sheet of paper and begin to scribble on it.

The front door swung open, and Aang and Katara stepped through with grins on their faces. Ashlynn rolled over onto her stomach and grasped a nearby pillow to rest her arms and head on as she stared up at Aang and Katara, awaiting their verdict. Sokka paid them no attention as he continued to furiously draw more lines and circle on the piece of paper before him.

"We found a printer to make our posters," Katara announced as she held out a picture before them. It had a near flawless drawing of Appa on it, with a small description of him below. Ashlynn frowned as she looked down at the picture she'd worked so hard to draw, and began to compare it with the picture Katara had produced. She folded her picture neatly and tucked it beneath her pillow, unwilling to compete with the more professional picture.

"I thought designing the posters was the job for Ash and I? We've been working all day on it!" Sokka argued. He lifted up his newest 'masterpiece' and displayed it before his companions in an attempt to gather their favor and compliments. He glanced at Ashlynn and gave her a small wink. She shook her head in disbelief, and shoved her picture further underneath the pillow.

"Sokka, I know you might not remember much about the flying bison we've been travelling with for months, but you should at least remember that the arrow is on his head," Aang fumed as he shot down any hope Sokka had of getting his picture to be the one that they'd hang up around town.

"That _is_ his head, Aang," Sokka frowned as he looked down at his paper. He withdrew his paper slightly as Katara stepped forward to get a better look of his picture.

Katara snorted before she asked, "Why are feet coming out of his head?" She grasped the paper, but Sokka quickly pulled it from her hand. She took a step back, and continued to chuckle lightly.

"Those are his horns," Sokka defended instantly. He brought his paper into his lap, and looked down at it. Ashlynn felt sorry for him as she watched his face fall slightly. "I haven't seen him in a while, okay?"

"It looks just like him to me," Toph spoke suddenly. She hadn't taken a moment to look in Sokka's direction, but instead had stayed perfectly still as she rested upon her back and stared up at the ceiling above her. Ashlynn couldn't help but laugh, since Toph couldn't see the picture at all, due to her blindness.

Sokka recognized her sarcasm after a moment too. He scowled at Toph as he demanded, "Why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Let's just stick with the professional picture," Katara suggested. She jumped away from Sokka as he spontaneously tore his picture out of frustration. He glared up at his sister, and she returned an innocent smile and a small wave.

Ashlynn stood up and began to pick up all the stray sheets of paper, and all the scattered pieces of what was once a full paper. She crumpled them all into a ball, and tossed it into their designated garbage bin. She turned around to face her companions and said, "Alright, let's get started."

Ashlynn spent the afternoon flying around parts of Ba Sing Se on her glider with Aang. Together, they dropped hundreds of posters of Appa down into the city below. When people walked the streets, they'd see Appa's face peering up at them from the ground below.

Ashlynn watched as a breeze carried one poster across all the buildings, off into the distance. She smiled lightly as she realized the wind could help carry the posters all over Ba Sing Se. She brought her head forward, and felt the wind, and began to wait patiently for it to grow a little stronger. When she felt the speed of the winds pick up, she dropped the papers behind her. She turned her glider over and laid her back against it. Then, she curled her legs inwards and shot them back out instantly, and sent a stronger gust of air after the papers. She grinned as she watched the air hit the papers with such force that they were carried well out of sight.

When she and Aang had run empty of their posters, they flew back to their home in the upper ring. Aang could barely contain his excitement as he burst through the door and interrupted the game that Katara and Sokka were playing. They jumped in unison, slightly startled at Aang's noisy entrance. Ashlynn landed outside the door, and folded her glider as she followed Aang inside. She swept a few beads of sweat from her forehead, and collapsed on the nearest couch, dropping her glider to the floor in front of her.

"We dropped our posters all over town! Has anyone come with news about Appa?" Aang exclaimed enthusiastically as he sprinted over to Katara and Sokka. He sat down beside them, eager and excited like a puppy that was about to bed fed a treat. Katara sighed as she said, "It's only been a day Aang. Be more patient." Aang sulked as she rested his head on the table in disappointment.

Ashlynn was feeling slightly impatient about Appa as well, but she knew it'd take more than a day to find him, even with the papers out. She kicked her moccasins off, and curled up on the couch. Her eyes shot towards the door as she heard a rapid knock coming from outside. Aang, thinking it was someone who had news of Appa, immediately sped towards the door.

Ashlynn groaned with disgust as she recognized Joo Dee at the door. She had thought that Joo Dee was gone for good, and had been replaced with a different woman named Joo Dee. Instead, the same, gleeful woman stood in the doorway and grinned down at Aang.

"Joo Dee?" Aang questioned curiously. Sokka and Katara glanced at one another worriedly, and stood up to take up a spot behind Aang and hear what Joo Dee had to say. Toph walked over to the door as well.

"Hello Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Ashlynn," Joo Dee smiled, and gave a small wave over in Ashlynn's direction. Ashlynn's companions peered over their shoulders to acknowledge Ashlynn's presence. She gave a light wave, and listened intently at what Joo Dee had to say.

"I thought you were in jail?" Sokka questioned. Joo Dee giggled as she said, "Jail? Of course not!"

"That doesn't make sense; you disappeared after the Earth King's party," Toph reminded her. Joo Dee shook her head, and corrected Toph, "No no- I simply took a short vacation at Lake Laogai. It's out in the country, and it was quite relaxing."

Ashlynn felt there was something that Joo Dee wasn't telling them, or perhaps she was exaggerating the truth. Even if she had vacationed to a lake, that wouldn't explain why she had been replaced with another woman with the name Joo Dee. Ashlynn figured it was too significant to be coincidental. She got up from her couch and approached Joo Dee, and said, "They replaced you with another woman named Joo Dee. Why?"

Joo Dee looked taken aback, but maintained her fake smile as she countered, "I'm Joo Dee." Ashlynn sighed at her revealing of the obvious.

"More importantly- why are you here?" Aang interrupted. Joo Dee turned to Aang and handed him one of his posters of Appa. "Dropping and hanging up posters is not permitted within the city unless you have proper clearance," Joo Dee declared.

"Look, we can't wait around to get permission for every little thing we do," Sokka argued.

"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters," Joo Dee said, never failing to drop her smile. Ashlynn took a step back as she watched Aang step directly in front of Joo Dee. Now, he was angry enough that steam could've been coming from his ears.

"We don't care about your rules, and we're not asking permission!" Aang fumed, and Joo Dee took a step back. She'd finally managed to lose her goofy grin, and she was clearly at a loss for words. Aang continued to rage upon her, "We're finding Appa on our own and you should just stay out of our way!" When Joo Dee had finally stepped out of the doorway, Aang furiously slammed the door in her face and balled his hands into fists as he tried to calm down.

"That might come back to haunt us you know," Sokka contemplated aloud.

"I don't care. From now on we're doing whatever it takes to find Appa," Aang declared, still angered by Joo Dee's attempts to make their search for Appa a futile one. Toph cheered, more eager than ever to break all and any rule of Ba Sing Se.

Ashlynn contained her protests, and felt her temples pound with stress as she spun around to fetch her pack and her glider. She swung her bag over one shoulder, and grasped her glider with her free hand. She rubbed her palms against her temples, and then her ears, in an attempt to rid herself of the incessant pounding. When she'd managed to suppress the pain momentarily, she trailed after her companions as they departed from their home.

"We should split up to cover more areas. Toph, you can come with me. Ashlynn, you go with Katara. I'll take the right half of this area; you two can take the left half. Aang can cover any extra ground on his glider," Sokka declared as he divided the posters of Appa evenly between the three groups. Their next idea was to plaster the posters to every wall in sight, rather than just dropping them down below.

Ashlynn split her stack in half and gave the second half to Katara. They waved goodbye to their other companions, and began to hang the posters upon every empty wall that they passed.

The roads were unusually empty, especially for it being midday. Yet, Ashlynn was grateful for the peace and quiet. No one could interrupt her as she worked to glue every poster upon every wall. She found herself keeping track of how many she'd hung up, and on what color each wall was. Ba Sing Se didn't have a lot of color, but it at least had various shades of white, light brown, and green. Most of the walls were dirty from old age, and some had cracks in them. Ashlynn pondered silently as to why no earth benders had taken the time to tidy up its own buildings.

The sky was free of clouds, and the sun beat down heavily on the necks of Ashlynn and Katara. Despite how long they'd been away from either of the poles, Katara had still failed to grow accustomed to the direct heat of the sun. Ashlynn suspected it was because she'd grown up in the South Pole all her life. Ashlynn, however, enjoyed the feeling of her skin absorbing the heat. It gave her a warm feeling that helped keep her sane and comfortable.

Ashlynn glanced over at Katara as she hung up a single poster upon a white wall on one side of the courtyard they were in. She swept the sweat from her forehead, and pressed the edges of the picture roughly against the wall, and then stepped back to admire her work. When she was satisfied that it wouldn't fall, she began to move further down the wall to place her next picture up.

Then, a familiar voice spoke from behind them, "Katara, Ashlynn!"

Ashlynn spun around at the same time as Katara did, and was more than surprised to see Jet standing several feet away from them. He approached them without hesitation, and it seemed as though he were almost eager to see them again. Ashlynn scowled at Jet as he came closer as she recalled the far-off memories that entailed his irrational behavior in their previous encounters. "Jet, what do _you_ want?" Ashlynn snarled.

"I think I can help you two," Jet responded coolly. He stopped three feet away from them, and flipped his hair back in a less-than-humble way. The breeze rustled through his thick brown hair, and carried a slight stench over to Ashlynn's nostrils that were somehow unfamiliar. She'd grown used to the smells of Ba Sing Se, but the aroma he carried about him caused her to think he hadn't been in the city for long.

Jet jumped a step back as Katara suddenly charged forward at him, throwing her arms up and casting bucketfuls of water in Jet's direction. Ashlynn's eyes darted to the side as she watched the nearby water being sucked dry from the wooden barrels, and instead flew directly at Jet. "Katara, I've changed!" Jet cried out, but it didn't save him from the massive wave that soon crashed directly into his chest.

"I'll go find the others- keep him at bay!" Ashlynn yelled to Katara. Katara nodded, and ran after Jet to get in closer range of him. Ashlynn turned back down the nearest alleyway, and began to run towards Sokka's designated portion of the city.

"Sokka!" Ashlynn shouted out as she ran through different courtyards, peering down every alleyway she saw. She stopped suddenly when she spied Toph down one alleyway. "Toph!" Ashlynn said, and ran to meet up with her. She slowed down when she neared her friend and asked, "Where's Sokka?"

"What's going on?" came Sokka's voice as he exited from the building on Ashlynn's left side. He wiped his palms against his pants, and Ashlynn noticed that he hadn't anymore posters. Thus, it was more than okay to drag him back to his sister.

"Follow me," Ashlynn responded, and ran back up the alleyway. She made a sharp turn, and then continued to guide Sokka and Toph back to Katara. After several moments, Aang landed beside them and shut the wings of his glider. Ashlynn ignored his questions as she hurriedly guided them back to where she'd last seen Katara.

"Katara?" Ashlynn hollered when she reentered the courtyard. She heard Katara's voice from a distance say, "Over here!" After determining the direction of her voice, Ashlynn guided her companions to a nearby alleyway where Katara had Jet pinned against the furthest wall. Katara stood several feet from him, but used her bending to keep several icicles wedged into the edges of his clothing, and jammed against the stone wall.

"What's going on?" Aang questioned as he and the others caught up to Ashlynn.

"Jet's back," Katara growled as she kept a stern focus on Jet. Jet remained silent as Sokka and Aang averted their gaze to look upon Jet. Ashlynn eyed him up and down as well, and moved in closer to pick up his weapons that lay beside him in the dirt. She tossed them next to Katara, and took a few steps back. That way, if he tried to retaliate, he'd have to resort to hand-to-hand combat.

"We can't trust anything he has to say to us!" Katara shouted, still determined to keep her eyes locked upon Jet's face. She kept her arms out before her aggressively, ready to bend more water at him if he tried to attack or escape.

"Katara, we don't even know _why_ he's here," Sokka groaned as he loosened his posture. He lowered his weapon, and waited for Katara to let Jet go.

"I don't care why he's here. Whatever the reason is, it can't be good," Katara argued. Ashlynn figured that Katara's motives for being so hostile were justified because of their past experiences with Jet. However, Ashlynn was still curious as to what it was that Jet wanted, and she wished Katara would let him speak.

"I'm here to help you find Appa!" Jet interrupted. Ashlynn shot a glance in Aang's direction to gauge his opinions about Jet before he responded. She knew he was desperate to find Appa, and thus would take any risks and trust anyone that could provide him with information, no matter how small.

"Katara, we have to give him a chance!" Aang implored. Katara tensed up, and began to mull over Aang's request. Ashlynn placed a hand on Aang's shoulder in means of comfort as they awaited a verdict from Katara.

"I swear to you, I've changed! I admit, I was a troubled person, and I let my anger get out of control. I've put everything behind me now, though. I don't even have the gang anymore!" Jet exclaimed as he patiently waited for Katara to release him from his icy bonds. Ashlynn removed her hand from Aang's shoulder, and took a step forward to be beside Katara. She tilted her head and stared into Katara's eyes pleadingly. Katara shot her one glance, and then ignored her, and returned her gaze to Jet.

"You're lying!" Katara shouted after a moment of contemplation. She jabbed the air with one finger in Jet's direction to emphasize her accusations. Ashlynn shook her head disappointedly, and stepped away from Katara. She looked at the dirt below her and muttered, "What if he's not, Katara? This could be the only lead we'll get in finding Appa."

Katara remained silent and instead watched as Toph walked before her, and up to Jet. She quivered for a moment, suspicious that Toph would set Jet free. She balled her hands into fists, prepared to strike if Jet fought or tried to flee. However, Toph merely placed a single palm against the cold stone beside Jet. After a few moments she said, "He's not lying."

"How can you tell?" Sokka questioned, and walked towards Toph. He stood beside her, and placed a hand on the wall too. Yet, it didn't appear to make him feel any different about Jet was saying. He removed his hand from the wall and looked down at Toph.

"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat," Toph responded. She let her arm fall back to her side, and she turned to face Katara. "When people lie, there's a physical reaction. He's telling the truth," she stated.

Aang stepped in front of Katara, and turned to face her directly. His stern gaze bored upwards into her eyes, and he proclaimed, "Katara- we don't have any leads! If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Katara sighed dejectedly, and looked past Aang and at the ground. She thought about the situation for a single moment, and then looked up at Ashlynn as she approached Katara cautiously. Katara frowned and said, "Alright, as long as we don't let him out of our sight." Ashlynn nodded in agreement, and gave her a small smile. Katara maintained her frown as she lifted a single arm and turned the icicles into pure water. The water instantly soaked Jet's clothes, and he shook the stray droplets from his hands.

"I work at this store not far from here. I heard two guys talking about a large, white animal that they were keeping in the shelter next door. It's fairly large- large enough to hold Appa. I know that's where they're keeping him," Jet declared confidently. He stepped towards the group, and Katara instinctively took a step back. The rest of the group, however, remained where they stood.

"Alright, take us there, then," Ashlynn requested. Jet smiled lightly, and nodded. He took a position at the head of the group, and guided them out the alleyway. Katara took the rear of the line, however, so that she was as far away from Jet as she could get.

"This is the place," Jet announced as they approached a decaying building made of weakened wood. It looked as though it'd collapse at any given moment. It smelled of hay, and of pigs and other farm-animals. Yet, it did look large enough to hold Appa, although no sounds that the sky-bison would make were emitting from the barn.

Jet opened the doors, and stepped inside. Ashlynn followed him closely behind, and scanned the barn instantly for Appa. She was disappointed to find that it was entirely empty, aside a single old man who was raking away the bundles of stray hay that were scattered around the interior. Not a single animal was to be found inside the shelter.

"There's nothing here," Aang complained as he walked around the shed. He kicked up some pieces of hay in frustration, and turned around to face Jet. He frowned, and waited for Jet to explain himself.

"If this is a trap…" Katara began to accuse. Jet quickly interjected, "I already told you- I work nearby! I overheard two guys talking about a giant furry creature they had. I assumed it was Appa."

Ashlynn blocked out their voices as they continued to bicker, and she began to kick at the hay as well. As she kicked a bundle of hay, a clump of white hair became visible through the straw. She grasped a handful of it, and ran her fingers through it. There was no denying that it was Appa's fur. She turned around and exclaimed, "Appa was here!" Aang quickly bounded to her side and tugged the hair from her hands. He felt it for a moment, and then smiled as he realized it was a small piece of Appa that was left behind.

"They took that big thing yesterday," the old man grumbled as he swept more hay out of the center of the barn. The whole team turned around to listen to the elder man. He cleared his throat and said, "They took him out to some island. 'Bout time too; I've been cleaning up fur and various, er, 'leavings' all day."

Aang dashed over to aged man and rapidly asked, "What island? Where's Appa?" Aang tugged on the man's sleeve impatiently. The man shouldered him off and turned around slowly as he tried to recall the name of the island that Appa had been sent to. He pressed a washcloth to his head and said, "Some rich folk bought him for a zoo or somethin'. I think it was on some sort called 'Whale Tail Island."

"Sokka get the map," Ashlynn urged, and nudged Sokka's arm. She peered over his shoulder as he withdrew his map from the bag he had. He unraveled the map and began to scan it for 'Whale Tail Island'. "Ah, there!" Ashlynn pointed out after a moment, and stuck a finger on top of a small shred of land near the bottom of the map. She and Sokka groaned in unison as they realized it was all the way back towards the South Pole.

"Where's Whale Tail Island?" Aang inquired, and he looked over at Ashlynn and Sokka hopefully. Sokka sat down on the stone floor and spread the map out for all of them to see. Aang excitedly sat down and looked at the map as he waited for someone to point out the island.

"It's pretty far, Aang," Ashlynn answered reluctantly. However, it seemed like Aang didn't care what the distance was. All that mattered to him was getting Appa back, no matter what it took or how long it took to do it.

"Very far," Sokka said. He pointed at the island and said, "It's right here, almost all the way back to the South Pole."

"Aang, listen to reason. It'd take us weeks just to reach the tip of the Earth Kingdom on foot," Katara pleaded. She stared up at Aang as he got up from the floor and then she said, "Then we'll need to find a boat that'd be willing to take us to that island. For all we know, Appa could move before we get there."

"I don't care," Aang retorted. He avoided eyed contact with Katara as he declared, "We have a chance to find Appa. It's our first and only lead! We have to take this opportunity and try to get him back."

Ashlynn stood up next and nodded at Aang. He raised his eyebrows as he listened for her comments. "Aang's right. Our first priority needs to be finding Appa. We've all seen what it's like without him. We might have to wait several weeks before being with him again, but it's better than never seeing him again. We can come back to Ba Sing Se once we have him back," Ashlynn affirmed. Aang relaxed slightly, and smiled at her thankfully. She winked at him in return, and turned around to wait for a response from the rest of the group.

"We'd better get moving then," Sokka said as he stood up. Katara and Toph swiftly followed his example. Jet ran up beside them, eager to become a part of the team. "I'll help," he offered cheerfully.

"We don't need your help!" Katara snarled. Ashlynn rolled her eyes and followed Sokka out of the shelter, leaving Jet and Katara to sort out their bickering. Toph was left in the midst of it.

The streets of the marketplace were a lot busier than they had been earlier in the day. People all around were bargaining for various foods, clothes, and work tools. The sun had travelled high into the sky, and many people had taken refuge in the shade. Ashlynn wove in and out of the groups of people that littered the streets, trying her best to keep up with Sokka and the rest of the group.

"We can at least take the train to the outer wall, but from there on we're going to have to walk," Sokka shouted to his companions, trying to beat the incessant chattering of the groups of people around them. Ashlynn apologized to several people as she bumped into them, still trailing at the rear of her party. After a moment of walking, however, Sokka turned down a path that was nearly empty. The sounds of the crowds were soon left behind.

"Look at the bright side. We get to fly on our way back here!" Aang exclaimed cheerfully. Ashlynn ran up beside Sokka as soon as the crowds disappeared, and walked at the same speed as he. The rest of the group trailed behind them. Toph commented, "We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se- Worst city ever!"

Seconds after Toph's comment, another girl's voice was heard from behind, "Jet!"

Katara, Ashlynn, and Jet all turned around together in one swift motion. Smeller Bee and Long Shot had just departed the alleyway that the group had just passed by. Ashlynn was more than surprised to see them, since Jet had announced that he didn't travel with his old companions anymore.

Katara was having the same thoughts. "I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore?" Katara spat, and she placed her hands upon her hips. Her eyes bore into Jet as she watched him stared back at Smeller Bee and Long Shot. Apparently, he was just as shocked to see them, too.

"I don't!" he stammered. He remained still, petrified, as Smeller Bee and Long Shot ran over to greet him. "We were so worried!" Smeller Bee cried quietly as she threw her arms about Jet. He tried to move away from her, but was unsuccessful. Instead, he simply did not return the gesture. After an awkward moment, she pulled away from him.

"How did you get away from the Dai Li?" she asked worriedly. Her eyes popped as everyone around her went into a state of chaos and confusion. Jet took several steps back, insisting he didn't know what she was talking about. Katara, Ashlynn, and Sokka all began to shout, demanding to know what Smeller Bee was talking about. Aang remained silent, but stepped forward to look at Jet better, waiting patiently for an explanation. Toph, however, knelt upon the ground and placed a single palm on the floor.

Smeller Bee ignored Toph as she said, "You got arrested by the Dai Li a few weeks ago! How did you get away?"

Jet was genuinely confused and terrified. Ashlynn halted her questions, and tried to hush Katara and Sokka too. When they stopped shouting, Jet spoke again. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city!" he argued.

"This doesn't make any sense. They're _both_ telling the truth," Toph muttered. She kept her palm upon the dirt for another moment as she tried to figure out how it was that both of them could be telling the truth. Utterly stumped, she stood back up and paced away from them. "I can't figure it out. How can they both be honest? That's impossible," she murmured to the group as she went to stand on the outskirts of the team.

"It's not impossible. You can't tell who is lying because they both think they're telling the truth. What I believe is that Jet's been brainwashed!" Sokka declared. Ashlynn gasped as she realized how much it made sense. They'd encountered the Dai Li and Long Feng before. Based on the previous encounter with the Dai Li, Ashlynn could see how possible it was for them to have brainwashed Jet. Perhaps that's what they'd done to Joo Dee as well.

"That's crazy!" Jet shouted back. He took a step back from the group, and Ashlynn got the feeling he was going to try and run for it. The best thing to do would be to take him somewhere safe, and try to jog his memories. She motioned for Katara to take one side, and for Sokka to take the other. They spread out around him as they tried to calm him down. Ashlynn closed in on him first, and grasped his left hand.

He jumped, and tugged his hand free of hers. "Jet, it's going to be okay. We're here to help," she pleaded. She grasped his arm, and Katara approached him next. She placed a hand on his shoulder. One by one, everyone neared him, and placed a comforting hand upon his shoulders or arms. Once they had managed to calm him down, they made the decision to guide him to a safer place where they could talk more about Jet's past.

Sokka and Aang explored the buildings nearby for a place where they could talk privately with Jet. If he had been brain-washed by the Dai Li, then it was important that they weren't discovered by them. If they were, then it was likely they'd end up in the same boat as Jet. They could try and fight, but it was probable that they'd be swiftly outmatched and outnumbered.

A decent momentary hiding spot was found after several minutes of searching. The team piled in, and lit a small fire to provide a little bit of light. Jet collapsed in a wooden chair, and stared up at his companions. His face illustrated every bit of confusion that he was feeling. Ashlynn shivered as she tried to imagine what it'd be like if she were the one that had been brain-washed. Would she even remember who Katara, Aang, Sokka, or Zuko were?

"I think the Dai Li sent Jet to mislead us. That way, we wouldn't find Appa. We'd just leave the city and stop giving them trouble," Katara announced after a moment. She was frustrated, and bitter. She'd had the final straw with Ba Sing Se. All she wanted was some answers, and to get Appa back so they could leave as soon as time permitted.

"Then it only makes sense for that janitor in that barn to be part of the plot. They were trying to guide us away from Ba Sing Se. Not just outside the walls, but months away instead. They were making an attempt to keep us away for good. It's a good thing Jet's friends came along," Ashlynn explained, and nodded in gratitude towards Smeller Bee and Long Shot. They respectfully bowed their heads slightly in return.

"Well if Appa isn't on that island, then he's got to be here in the city. Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet?" Aang questioned. He looked between Katara and Sokka, and then turned his gaze towards Jet. Jet stared up at him silently, still hopelessly lost. "Where did they take you?" Aang demanded.

Jet shrugged in response and cried, "No where! I honestly don't know what you're talking about." He lowered his head and stared down at the dirt. Ashlynn pursed her lips as she tried to think of a solution. She knelt down beside Jet and placed a hand on his knee. He avoided eye contact, and tried to shrug himself away. He gave up after a moment, however.

"We need to find a way to jog his memory," Ashlynn said. She turned slightly to face the group, but stayed by Jet's side. She looked up at each of her friends in turn, waiting for a suggestion. If they could make him remember his past, maybe he could remember where the Dai Li had taken him.

"Maybe Katara should kiss him. I bet that would jog his memory," Sokka teased. He chuckled lightly to himself, and then flinched as Katara shot him a death glare. He shrugged back at her and smiled. When she didn't drop her angry stare, he let his smile falter, and he turned back towards Jet. Ashlynn shook her head at Sokka, and tried to think of a way that would genuinely work.

"I think he should try to remember something that triggers his emotions. Maybe that would give him the push he needed to remember everything that happened," Toph suggested.

"Jet, remember the fire nation! Remember what they did to your family," Smeller Bee insisted. She sat down beside Ashlynn, and stared up at Jet too, pleadingly. Jet stared back down at her for a moment, and then shook his head. He looked up at Katara and Sokka, desperate for an answer, a way out.

"Jet, close your eyes. Try to picture it. Picture your family, picture the fire nation," Katara muttered. Jet inhaled deeply, exhaled lightly, and then shut his eyes tightly. After a moment, sweat began to form on his forehead. His eyebrows twitched, and his body began to shake lightly. Katara ran to his side as well, and tried to comfort him. The memories were painful, but it was the only way to get him to remember.

"No!" Jet screamed. He jumped as he was startled back into reality. Katara stepped away, and Ashlynn withdrew her hand from Jet's knee. Smeller Bee remained where she was, and continued to try and comfort him. "It's too painful," Jet murmured, and cleared some sweat from his forehead.

Katara stepped behind Jet and said, "Maybe this will help." She bended the water from her water pouch, and let the water cover her hands, as if they were gloves. The clear water began to light up, and they glowed as if they were the stars in the night sky. Katara placed her hands at Jet's temples, and used the healing water that wrapped about her hands to soothe Jet's mind. She massaged the sides of his head as he tried to recall the memories of his past once again.

"I think I remember!" Jet said suddenly. Katara pulled her hands away from his head for a moment as she listened to Jet. "They took me to some sort of headquarters under the water. I think it was some kind of lake," Jet exclaimed. He leaned forward in his chair, and Ashlynn stood up. She looked up at Katara, and then back at Sokka. There was something familiar about his mentioning of the lake.

"Wait! Remember what Joo Dee said?" Sokka asked. Katara shook her head at him, and Toph frowned instantly. Any mentioning of Joo Dee was sure to irritate Toph. Ashlynn thought hard for a moment, and then gasped.

"Oh! She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai," she exclaimed. Sokka nodded at her, and glanced over at Jet. Jet jumped up after a second and declared, "That's it! That's where they took me, to Lake Laogai!"

"Do you know where it is? The lake I mean. Can you take us there?" Ashlynn inquired. Jet nodded confidently. There was no doubting that he'd regained his full memory, now.

"It's best we save this search for tomorrow morning. It's still dark out, and who knows what could be in that lake. We could have a fair share of fighting to do. We need to rest up," Sokka said sternly. Aang pondered this for a moment, and then made the executive decision to have the group sleep for the remainder of the evening.

Thus, the party set up their blankets and sleeping rugs upon the wooden floor of the hut they were hiding in. They let the small fire burn out, and soon each fell into a small and short-lived slumber.

"Where exactly is these so-called secret headquarters, anyways?" Sokka inquired as he gazed out at the lake.

It was early in the morning, and the sun was just barely peeking over the distant hills. A massive lake lay before the group, yet that's all that was ahead of them. There were no signs of anything different, or unique- no nearby disturbances. Ashlynn frowned, doubting Jet's sense of direction. Sure, maybe it was the right lake, but maybe it wasn't the lake where the Dai Li took people to get brainwashed. Ashlynn signed with uncertainty, and waited for something to happen.

"It's underneath the water, I think," Jet said, and scratched his head lightly in confusion as he tried to recall where the headquarters were.

Suddenly, Toph pointed off to the side and exclaimed, "There's a tunnel there off the shore." She turned, and walked towards where her feet were sensing the tunnel within the ground. Using her earth bending prowess, she lifted the ground from underneath the water, revealing a small earthen bridge that led to a hole that was blocked by another slab of rock. Toph paced over to it, and slid the stone off the opening and into the water. Ashlynn, and the rest of the team, ran over to Toph so that they could peer down the hole.

Sure enough, there was a dark tunnel extending downwards, with a ladder running up along one side for support and easier access. There was no doubt in Ashlynn's mind now that this was the place they had been searching for. Now, all they had to do was pray that Appa was, in fact, being hidden within its confinements.

Ashlynn and Aang air bended their way down the tunnel first, while the others slowly climbed down the ladder. The tunnel appeared to go on for miles, but it took the air benders only a few minutes to swoop down onto the floor below. They landed quietly, and peered around one wall to search for any Dai Li agents that might be keeping guard. They silently signaled for their companions to scurry up next to them. When everyone had reached the bottom, they awaited for the coast to be clear. Jet took the lead when it was safe for them to continue.

"It's all starting to come back to me," he muttered. He halted suddenly, and then tip-toed to a door that was slightly ajar. He glanced inside, shuddered, and continued on his way. The rest of the group hurried after him, shooting a quick glance into the room that he had swiftly surveyed. Inside, there was a single Dai Li agent, and many women that were clad in the same garments as Joo Dee. Ashlynn shuddered, too, as she realized the agent was brain washing an entire program into every one of the women.

"I think there may be a cell large enough to hold Appa," Jet exclaimed when they were out of earshot range of the room with the Joo Dee look-alikes. Aang ran up to Jet's side, growing more and more eager and restless. After several more minutes of walking, Jet turned and stood in front of a metal doorway. "I think it might be through here," he proposed. Without hesitation, Aang stepped forward and burst the door open. They each, in turn, stepped inside.

Much to their disappointment, the room was completely empty. Aang sighed with exasperation and hopelessness as he glanced about the dark and empty room. No giant, furry friend of theirs was there to greet them. However, someone else had apparently come to greet them, for the door shut behind them suddenly. The group spun around, and Ashlynn's heart skipped a single beat as she recognized Long Feng and several Dai Li agents at his side. She heard movement elsewhere in the room, and she looked up at the ceiling. Sokka did too, and announced, "Well, that's something different." Ashlynn gasped as she realized that dozens of Dai Li agents were hanging above them, waiting for an order to strike. She began to feel skeptical about their imminent escape.

"You have made yourselves enemy of the state. Take them into custody," Long Feng demanded. The agents fell from the ceiling, and landed in a large circle that surrounded the group. Jet readied his weapons, and stared at his enemies as he waited for their assault. Ashlynn held her glider out in front of her as well. Then, two Dai Li agents shot forth clumps of earth that were shaped like hands. They were built for binding the hands of their hostages instantly, but it was no match for Toph. She stepped forward, and deflected the earth with her own bending. Then, she caused the ground beneath the two agents to rise upwards, and they were forced to jump away.

Then, the majority of the agents made it a point to knock Toph off her feet first. Jet charged at another agent, and his companions helped him. Ashlynn stepped by Sokka's side, and he nodded to her in reassurance. When another pair of earthen hands flew towards them, Sokka chopped at one of them with his machete, causing it to crumple into a hundred little dirt pieces. Ashlynn swiped her staff at the other one, cutting it in half instantly. Together, they charged at the agent that was focusing them.

"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang cried out suddenly. Ashlynn turned from her opponent just in time to see Long Feng dart out the door, with Aang and Jet closely behind him.

While she was taken off-guard, an agent swiftly bended a large mass of earth upwards and shot it out at Ashlynn. She was struck in the gut before she had a chance to react, and she fell backwards onto her bottom. The urge to vomit hit her almost instantly as she felt the muscles in her waist and stomach contract with pain, but she forced it inwards. She gasped and rolled away when an agent stepped aside her, and she groaned as her gut hurt more. Then, Sokka's boomerang flew in and crashed into the side of the agents head. Ashlynn took the opportunity to stand up and run back to Sokka's side.

"Come on!" Sokka cried loudly and motioned his sister, Smellerbee, Long Shot, and Toph over to him. He grasped Ashlynn's wrist, and dragged her towards an exit. He shouted, "We need to catch up with Aang and Jet!" Katara, Toph, and the remaining Freedom Fighters nodded as they charged after him. Conveniently, Toph bended a large portion of the earthen wall that lay before them out of the way to make their access to an exit a bit simpler. When they had each crossed over the 'doorway', Toph replaced the wall back into its original spot to slow down the agents slightly.

"They're down here!" Toph shouted, and ran ahead of the group. She stepped up to a nearby wall, and raised her arms out before her. She thrust her hands down in front of her, and the wall dropped instantly. Ashlynn and Katara gasped as they surveyed the scene before them.

A single, large stone loomed over Jet, who was collapsed upon the floor with his arms and legs sprawled and twisted about him. Long Feng disappeared as soon as they entered the room, and Aang turned away from his enemy to see who had come into the dark, earthen span. He collapsed beside Jet, at an utter loss of what to do next. Ashlynn was the first to run forward, and the rest of the group hastily followed her. She clasped a hand over her mouth as she closed in on Jet and Aang, wishing to keep her cries silent.

Jet's body was bruised and mangled, and he hardly budged an inch. Aang had teared up, and his face was quivering in multiple places. Ashlynn was stunned as she watched Jet try and move, or at least produce a smile when he saw that all of his companions had come for him. Sokka, Toph, and Long Shot bowed their heads in respect, but looked away from Jet. Katara and Smeller Bee, however, collapsed beside him. Smeller Bee took on of Jet's hands into her own, while Katara began to try healing his wounds with her water-healing powers.

"This isn't good…" Katara muttered, and looked back at Aang and Sokka.

Smeller Bee wiped a single tear from one eye and said, "You guys go ahead and find Appa. Long Shot and I can take care of Jet." She smiled lightly at Katara in reassurance.

Katara shook her head immediately and demanded, "No! We're not going to leave you."

Then, an unfamiliar voice spoke and said, "There's no time- Just go. Jet's our leader; we'll take care of him." Ashlynn looked in the direction the voice was coming from, and realized it was Long Shot. She couldn't remember him ever speaking until now; he had always spoken with hand and facial gestures.

"Don't worry about me, Katara. I'll be fine," Jet struggled to say. Everyone looked back down at Jet, in awe that he'd mustered the strength to utter a few words. Ashlynn felt a tear run down her face, and she swept it away as Sokka wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked away from him, but still he didn't remove his comforting arm. Katara stood up, tears streaming down her face too, and nodded confidently at Jet. Without another word, she walked away from the group. Sokka removed his arm, and pressed his hand against Ashlynn's back and urged her onward. She slowly paced after Katara, who was also being followed by Aang and Toph. Behind her, she could hear Smeller Bee crying in mourning.

Toph took the lead, since she was capable of easily taking down any earthen walls that lay in their path. She bended one wall down, and the group stepped inside.

Inside, several chains were bolted to the floor. They had cuffs large enough to wrap around a giant beast's leg- a leg like Appa's. However, the chains, and cellar, were entirely empty. Aang exclaimed, "Appa's gone! Long Feng beat us here."

After several moments of silence Sokka suggested, "If we hurry out of here maybe we can catch up with him." Aang nodded in agreement, and they each turned to Toph. She sighed, knowing she was likely the only one who would be able to find their way out of such a maze, and once again took the head of the group. However, she only stepped several feet closer to a single wall, and ushered her team over to her. They all ran over to her, and stood directly by her side.

Then, she bended the floor beneath them up to the ceiling above them, and created and earthly bubble about them. She kept the small and confined room carefully protected as they continued to rise higher and higher. Then, she stopped, and created a small doorway before them. She kicked it down, and the individuals were instantly greeted by the sun that had been absent from their lives for several hours. She jumped out of the doorway, and landed on the shore of the lake. Her companions jumped after her.

Ashlynn blinked several times as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight. Once she could see again, she cried out and pointed off to her right. In the distance, multiple Dai Li agents were hurriedly running towards them. "We need to get out of here, now!" she shouted to her friends. Thus, they instantly began to run to the left.

"Think we can outrun them?" Aang asked as he continued to glance back at the agents, who were slowly gaining on them.

"I don't think it's going to matter," Sokka responded, and pointed ahead of him. Ashlynn groaned as she saw more Dai Li agents rushing towards them, preparing to block off any escape routes for the group.

Sure enough, when they close in on the Dai Li agents they created a large, dirt wall to prevent them from continuing onward. Behind them, the other group of agents did the same. Thus, they were boxed off by two walls, the mountainside, and the lake. Long Feng was perched atop one wall, prepared to strike when necessary. Then, suddenly, a familiar roar was heard from above.

Ashlynn shielded her eyes, and looked up towards the sun. Her face grew a large grin as she recognized their furry friend, Appa, flying right towards them. Aang cried out, "Appa!" as he swooped downwards to save the day. He burst through each of the Dai Li's walls, and sent them tumbling over into the water of the lake. While they were caught off guard, Aang and Toph earth-bended the remaining Dai Li agents off the mountainside and into the water, until the only remaining member was Long Feng.

Appa plunged downwards towards the group, and landed protectively in front of them, blocking off Long Feng's access to the group. Appa growled defensively, and continued to shield his companions. Long Feng spat and said, "I can take care of you myself!" He charged at Appa, and raised a single foot to bend rocks after Appa. However, Appa simply took Long Feng's leg into his mouth, bit down hard enough to pick him up, and thrust him outwards into the lake, far away from the entire group. A loud splash was seen, and they did not see Long Feng rise up above the surface.

Ashlynn cheered with the rest of the group as they commended Appa's rescue. Appa turned to look at his friends and family, and they each charged after him. Aang hopped up onto Appa's furry head, while the rest of the group piled on top of him as well. Ashlynn felt her face swell up with happiness as several tears sped down her face. "We missed you, Appa," she whispered to the furry beast.

Then, they all clambered on top of Appa, eager to go on another flight with him. They huddled closely, hugging one another in unison, as Appa flew off towards the sunset. Ashlynn and Katara tried to hold back their tears as they remembered Jet and his bravery. Ashlynn said a silent prayer for Jet and the other Freedom Fighters, and then huddled her face into Sokka's chest. He instinctively wrapped his arm about her, but said nothing.

Appa roared lightly with happiness, glad that he had become one with his companions once again.


	33. Book 2 Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air… Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, and air-bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, the blind earth-bender, Toph, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion…_

* * *

After flying around for at least a quarter of an hour, Aang landed Appa atop a small portion of land that was stranded amidst Lake Laogai. It was far off from shore- a place where they could hide in secret for a number of minutes while they decided what to do next.

Ashlynn stared up at Sokka as he slid off a small rock and slowly paced over to his companions. Aang was several feet away, giving all the love and attention that he was capable of to the newly discovered Appa. Appa was more than thoroughly pleased to be with Aang and Momo once again, and even Sokka's level of optimism had seemingly gone up. Sokka turned to look at Ashlynn and Katara and said, "First, we escape from the Dai Li, and then we get Appa back. We're on a roll! I really think we should take this luck of ours, and use it to its full advantage."

"What are you suggesting?" Ashlynn inquired curiously. She brushed a few strands of hair from her face as a small breeze rolled by. It felt nice, especially beneath the blazing hot sun. She stared up at Sokka from her sitting position, and he smiled back down at her.

Sokka turned his attention towards Katara as he responded, "I mean that we should go and talk to the Earth King now. No permission granted by Joo Dee. Let's just walk on in there, and tell him what's up."

Katara frowned at Sokka, expressing her doubts instantly. "I wouldn't consider a single hour after weeks of trouble 'good luck'. It's likely we'd just end up right where we started again. I don't think we'll get anywhere, Sokka," she protested instantly. All-the-while, her frown never left her face.

"Come on, Katara! If we want to invade the Fire Nation, we need support from the Earth King. It's better to try and maybe succeed, than to give up and never get anywhere at all," Sokka spat as he tried his hardest to make his point. Katara rolled her eyes at him, and looked down at Ashlynn. Ashlynn shrugged back up at her, refusing to get involved in their argument.

However, that hardly prevented Toph from doing so. She interrupted the both of them and pondered aloud, "What makes you think we'd even get the support of the Earth King in the first place? I don't know if you've noticed or not, but things don't generally go that smoothly for us."

Sokka inhaled deeply, getting twice as frustrated. Yet, he maintained a smile, and grinned at his companions. He shrugged and responded, "I have a good feeling about this, though. This time it will be different." His smiles slowly dropped, however, as Katara's frown and impatience doubled in apparent size.

"Sokka, you're not thinking reasonably here! Long Feng has taken over the entire city! The conspiracy he's built with the Dai Li is far too powerful, especially for a group that's as small as ours. I think we should keep on flying away, and leave this horrible city behind us," Katara argued, and finally turned her stern gaze away from her brother. Sokka had grown a frown now, too, and his hope was beginning to falter. Ashlynn stood up, then, and stood by Sokka's side. At first, he smiled at her, but when she still said nothing he dropped his grin.

"I agree with Katara. I've had enough of this stupid place," Toph muttered bitterly. She kicked at the dirt below her, and crossed her arms over her chest. Katara smiled at Toph, and shot Sokka a triumphant glance.

Suddenly, Aang hopped in and landed beside Sokka and Ashlynn. Sokka grinned once more, excited that Aang was swift to join his side on the matter. "Now that we have Appa, though, there's nothing stopping us from revealing the entire conspiracy and the war!" Aang declared.

Then, Ashlynn finally decided to speak up. "Think about it, Katara, if the Earth King knew the truth it's possible things could change. Perhaps we could even re-conquer Ba Sing Se in his name, or something." Katara opened her mouth to protest, but then stopped abruptly. She pondered Ashlynn's point of view for a moment, and then finally nodded in agreement. She stepped over the invisible boundary line between the two opposing sides, and left Toph to be the last one on the other side.

Toph exhaled in annoyance, but she said nothing. She stepped over the invisible line, and stood by Katara's side. She frowned, crossed her arms, but still said nothing. Sokka smiled triumphantly, and gave a silent cheer. However, his sudden streak of happiness didn't last long, for several ships were spotted upon the lake in the distance. "That must be the Dai Li. They're more than likely searching for us. So, what's the plan?" Ashlynn asked, and looked at the companions that surrounded her.

When no one responded after a moment, Katara declared, "Let's fly."

* * *

"We really need to buy a new saddle. Flying bareback is terrifying!" Toph screamed over the winds that were rushing past the group.

They were soaring high above Ba Sing Se atop Appa, and were forced to grip the thick hair upon his back, for they no longer had a saddle to be seated in. Toph seemed to be the only one who was having trouble, however, for she continued to cry out in fear the more Appa flew onward. The palace lay directly before them, and there was no turning back now. Ashlynn peered down at the palace below them, and swiftly anticipated oncoming attacks. It was hard to see, however, for the sky had become grey with large clouds that covered the entire city. Yet, it had not begun to rain yet.

"We have to be careful. Long Feng has probably warned the King that we're coming," Katara shouted to the rest of the group. Ashlynn squinted as she tried to survey any oncoming attacks, but to no avail. Not only was it hard to see, but they were so high up that everything below them appeared to be at minimal size.

"Don't assume that Katara! We'll probably have some real smooth sailing. Don't worry!" Sokka yelled back, continuing to express his optimism.

"Look out!" Ashlynn cried suddenly as a large boulder flew right at them with colossal speed. Aang swiftly swerved Appa to the side, just barely avoiding a head-on collision with the rock. "What was that?" Toph shrieked as she held onto Appa for dear life. Aang continued to veer Appa in all directions as he evaded more and more oncoming boulders.

"We're being attacked!" Ashlynn responded. She screamed again as another rock soared right over her head. "More incoming!" she shouted and pointed downwards at the palace. Aang then turned Appa downhill, right in the direction of the palace. Ashlynn screamed and buried her face in Appa's fur as another rock came right at them. However, no contact was made, and Ashlynn peered around her again just in time to see hundreds of pieces of rock fly right over them. Clearly, Aang had used his own bending powers to prevent the rock from hitting them.

Then, Aang leapt from Appa and landed hard on the ground below them. Ashlynn watched as the earth rumbled, and rose up beneath the mass of the Earth Kingdom soldiers. They all shouted and yelled as they were thrown far away from the fight scene, with no way of quickly re-joining the battle. Then, Appa landed directly behind Aang, and the remainder of the team leapt from his back and landed beside Aang. Ashlynn held out her staff before her, and prepared to fight.

Aang and Toph took the lead, and provided a shield from the oncoming assaults. As the two of them blocked smaller boulders from the front, Ashlynn and Appa guarded the back. Katara took up knocking over each soldier they passed with a large water-whip. Soon, they neared the large staircase the stretched upwards to the palace.

When they were near the base of the stairs, several soldiers worked together to bend earthen statues over to Aang's group. The shadows instantly swallowed the entire perimeter of the team as they loomed over their heads and quickly closed in on them. Ashlynn instinctively created a bubble of air around her companions to shield them, though she doubted it would withstand something the size of the statues. However, Aang and Toph reassured their protection by creating a larger, earth-made shell about them. The rock surrounding them cracked slightly in multiple places as the statues collided with it, but the team was left entirely intact.

Then, Katara took the lead as she ran out from their cover. She dashed across the bridge that hovered over a flowing river directly before the palace. As she approached the other side, she bended water from the river and used it to sweep the soldiers off their feet and throw them into the water below. When all the nearby soldiers had been tossed into the stream, she used her bending to turn the water into thin ice, immediately immobilizing the soldiers temporarily.

The rest of the team swiftly approached the large staircase, where an onslaught of many more soldiers was beginning to pour down from. Toph stood at the base of the staircase, and raised her arms far up above her head. After a moment she curled her arms inwards and Ashlynn watched as the stairs instantly became flat. The soldiers tripped, and slipped, and fell on their bottoms, and began to slide down towards the bottom, for they no longer had a flat and safe place to stand upon. With Aang's help, Toph bended a secure slab of rock beneath them and began to hoist their group up to the front of the palace. All the while, soldiers plummeted behind them.

When they reached the top, more soldiers came at them from the sides. However, they were hardly a match for two master earth-benders, for Toph and Aang quickly dispatched them. Sokka pointed ahead of them, and Ashlynn saw that he was motioning them into the palace, which was now directly before them. The doors stood wide open, and Ashlynn figured that was because soldiers were continuously exiting through them. Before more soldiers could assault them, the group ran directly into the palace.

Once they were inside, Sokka looked about them for an indicator of where the King would be. Many doors surrounded them, but even more soldiers were filing into the entrance hall from every direction. "Toph, which way is it to the Earth King?" Sokka questioned, assuming Toph would have a definite answer since she was capable of viewing the entire interior of the palace through her feet.

"How should I know?" Toph shouted back as she rapidly disposed of another wave of soldiers. Sokka sighed, at a loss of what to do next.

"Just keep heading into the interior of the palace. Sokka, you check the rooms, we'll cover you," Ashlynn suggested. Sokka furrowed his eyebrows, and nodded at her. He ran forward while Toph and Aang used their earth bending to shake off any oncoming soldiers. Ashlynn and Katara covered the rear and sides of the group. Meanwhile, Appa burst down any doors or walls or remaining soldiers that stood in their way.

Eventually, enough destruction was caused that the result was a lack of soldiers that pursued them. They began to flee, and surrender. Appa burst down a final wall, leaving a cloud of dust and dirt in his wake. When the dust cleared, Sokka scrambled up over the rubble, and declared confidently, "That's got to be the Earth King's door!" Ashlynn looked over the mess and at the door he was indicating towards. Sure enough, it was enormous in size and decorated fashionably. She instantly agreed with Sokka's assumptions.

Sokka ran over to it, and frowned as he began to fully realize just how sizeable the door really was. The handles stretched far above his head, so high, in fact, that he was unable to reach it. He shoved his full weight against the door, but failed to cause any movement at all. Aang flew in next to him, and swung his glider about him. In doing so, he released an enormous gust of air that was powerful enough to not only open the giant door, but to actually knock it clear off its hinges.

Inside, the Earth King sat comfortably upon his thrown. At his side stood Long Feng, and before him stood several Dai Li agents. The team ran in the room, and readied their weapons as they prepared to be assaulted and captured by the agents. Long Feng appeared furious, and stepped in front of the King protectively.

The King was scrawny, and looked rather young. A small pair of glasses sat atop his nose, and his robes flowed about him. The large bear that they'd seen before lay by his sad, motionless. It appeared that the new disturbance had hardly made an effect on the animal.

The Dai Li prepared to strike as the team ran forward. They halted several yards away, and Aang shouted, "We need to talk to you."

Long Feng frowned and turned back to face his King. "They're here to over-throw you," he accused harshly. Ashlynn began to feel tense as doubts began to fill her mind. Long Feng had known the King probably for the duration of the King's life. The King had never met Aang or his companions. The chances of him trusting, or listening to them, especially after they near destroyed his palace, were highly unlikely. She relaxed her muscles, and ditched her hostile stance.

"We're not here to over-throw you, your Majesty. We're on your side!" Sokka pleaded.

"You have to trust us," Katara begged. Her eyes grew wide with fear and doubt, but she kept her hope alive, regardless.

The King stood up, then, and was filled with contempt as he frowned down upon the group. "You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, and break down my fancy door… And you expect me to trust you?" he cried out in disbelief and annoyance. Ashlynn bit her lip and silently prayed for their luck to increase once more. The King pondered for a moment and then said, "If you are on my side, as you say, then drop your weapons and stand down!"

Ashlynn, along with her other companions, look at Aang. He sighed, and dropped his staff before his feet. Ashlynn did the same, and Sokka laid is weapon down as well. Toph dropped the clump of earth that floated before her, and allowed it to become one with the ground once more. Katara allowed her water to flow back into her pouch, and then she set her pouch down as well.

As soon as all their weapons were away from their hands, Long Feng ordered the Dai Li to arrest them. Chunks of earth formed into the shape of fists were cast out before them. They wrapped about their wrists, acting as a bond to keep their hands behind their backs. Ashlynn tried her hardest to break the earth free of its grasp about her wrists, but to no avail. She groaned as the earth pinched at her skin, and she could feel the slow loss of circulation begin to take over.

"Detain the assailants," Long Feng commanded. The earth King said nothing as the Dai Li agents swiftly sped towards the group. Ashlynn gulped as she felt one step behind her, and hover over her as he took a hold of the earth the bound her hands together. "Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again," Long Feng sneered.

"The Avatar?" the King questioned finally. He stared curiously at Aang, and for once he didn't appear to be so hostile. At last, there was a gleam of hope, for it was apparent that Long Feng didn't have entire control over the Earth King. "You're the Avatar?" he asked.

"Why does it matter, your Highness? They're enemies of the state," Long Feng growled. The King looked off to the side and frowned as he pondered Long Feng's accusation. He wanted to argue, and pursue his curiosities. But Long Feng's fist held a greater rule over the King.

"Bosco likes them," the King smiled as he watched his bear walk over to Aang. The bear sniffed Aang, and then licked his arm harmlessly. Aang giggled, and the King nodded. "I'll hear what they have to say," he saved, and waved towards the Dai Li. Following his unsaid orders, they released the bonds from the team. Ashlynn rubbed her wrists as she tried to regain some circulation. She frowned as the agents walked by her, but they made no eye contact in return.

Aang stepped forward, but was careful to not get too close to the King, in case he decided to place the bonds upon them again. "Sir, there's been a war going on. It's been apart of this world for one hundred years, to be exact. The Dai Li has kept it secret from you all this time. It's a conspiracy to keep control over the city, and to have control over you," Aang explained slowly and calmly.

"Secret war? That's crazy!" the King spat, disagreeing with Aang's tale instantly.

"Long Feng didn't want us to tell you. He stole my sky bison in means of blackmailing us. Although, that's the least of his crimes. He brainwashed our friend as well," Aang accused, but it appeared to have no effect on Long Feng.

Long Feng turned to his King and muttered, "These are all lies. I've never even seen a sky bison, your Majesty. In fact, I thought they were extinct."

The King sighed and sat down upon his throne. He thought for a moment before saying, "Your claim is difficult to believe, even if it's coming from the Avatar." Long Feng knelt down and murmured something into the King's ear, though it was too quiet for anyone else to hear. However, when he was finished, the King said, "I have to trust my advisor."

The Dai Li ran behind the group once again, and replaced their bonds. Without a single word, they spun them about, and began to escort them away from the King. Sokka, however, struggled as he shouted back to the King, "Wait! I can prove he's lying." The Dai Li allowed Sokka to turn around and face the King. "Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison, right? Well, ask him to lift his robes!"

"What? I am not disrobing!" Long Feng retorted. He looked back at the King, who glowered down at Sokka. He looked up at his advisor for a moment, and then motioned for him to lift his robes. He stared at the King disbelievingly, and scowled as he curled up the ends of his robe.

"There! Appa bit him," Aang shouted when the red bite mark that stretched about Long Feng's shin became visible.

"This here happens to be a very large birth mark that I've been reluctant to show anyone. As you can imagine, it's rather embarrassing," Long Feng said as he hurriedly dropped the hem of his robes, concealing the mark.

"Your Highness, my sky bison is just outside this door. May I bring him in so you can compare his teeth with the mark?" Aang requested. The Earth King looked from his advisor to Aang, and nodded after a moment of pondering. Aang turned around, and walked towards the door. Throughout the way, he was escorted by one of the Dai Li agents; so that they'd be sure he would not try and escape.

A moment later Aang reentered the room with Appa behind him. The King motioned for the Dai Li agents to release the bonds once more, so that they might show them Appa's teeth without him having to touch the bison himself. Ashlynn trailed next to Aang, but left her staff behind her with Sokka and Katara. She had no desire to cause any alarm to the King.

Appa, Aang, and Ashlynn stopped several feet away from the King. Together, Aang and Ashlynn prodded Appa until he reluctantly opened his large mouth and exposed his row of teeth. Ashlynn motioned towards Long Feng, and he rolled his eyes as he curled up the hem of his robes again. The King was silent as he looked back and forth between Appa's teeth, and the mark on Long Feng's robes.

"That pretty much proves it," he said after a moment. Appa shut his mouth tight, and Aang permitted him to retreat to Sokka's side. "Though, it doesn't prove this theory about the conspiracy you have." Ashlynn's hopes dropped as she heard him say this. They were so close, and yet to falter now would be such a loss and disappointment. She perked up, however, as he said, "But it's a serious issue, if what you say is true. I suppose it's worth looking into."

Angrier than ever, Long Feng dismissed himself from the room. The King, along with Aang and his companions, watched curiously as the Dai Li followed closely behind him, leaving their King unattended. When they'd left the room the King turned back to them, and with a smile he asked, "So, where do we go first?"

* * *

"So, this is what being on a train is like," the King said aloud as he stared outside the windows within the public train of Ba Sing Se. The people around him stared at him and his guards incredulously. It was obvious he'd never been this far from his natural home within the confinements of the city, and the people were in shock to actually be graced with their King's noble presence.

"That's the way to travel!" the King exclaimed, and pointed towards Appa. Aang flew atop his furry friend outside the train, following them closely as they made their way to the destination. The King grinned broadly as he watched the bison soar back and forth through the air, and Ashlynn couldn't help but smile. It was good for the King to get outside the palace, and see the joys that the real world could bring one person.

"So, where exactly are we going?" the King asked when Appa flew out of sight. He looked down at Sokka specifically, whom was sitting with the remainder of his companions upon the seats within the train.

"We're going underneath Lake Laogai," Sokka responded after a moment, and looked away from the King.

"It's the Dai Li's secret headquarters," Ashlynn followed, hoping it wasn't wrong to speak out of turn. The King didn't seem to mind; instead, he appeared intrigued. "It's where all the brainwashing has occurred," she explained further. The King looked away from her, and she gazed up at him as he frowned with frustration.

* * *

Lake Laogai loomed before them. The sun reflected off of its silent waters onto the faces of the group that stood before it. It seemed to be such a harmless lake, just like any other ordinary lake in the world. It was a shame that it had been utilized in helping commit the crimes that the Dai Li had.

Toph stepped forward, and searched about her for where the entrance beneath the lake had been. She walked slightly to the left, and her companions followed her. The King watched her with such interest and intensity that it was almost as if he expected her to transform into a kind of creature. Instead, she merely stopped the ground with a foot, and shot her arms out before her. A bridge of earth with an entrance at its end should have risen before them. However, all that was before them was broken rocks.

"It's gone!" Toph cried out.

"Don't tell me…" Ashlynn muttered as she pondered what could have possibly happened. The only explanation was that the Dai Li, having anticipated their next move, had gone to the lake before they had. Having had the time, they covered up any evidence that the group could have used against them.

Almost as if she had been reading Ashlynn's mind, Katara turned to the King and said, "The Dai Li must've known we were coming. So, they destroyed all the evidence."

"That seems awfully convenient," the King said as he frowned with doubt an annoyance. "Long Feng was right. This was a waste of my time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my palace," he stated sternly as he turned away from the group.

"Wait, the wall! There's no way they can cover that up in time," Katara exclaimed.

Excitedly, Aang rushed after the King. He stopped before him, preventing him from walking any further. The King looked as though he were about to slap him, but that didn't stop Aang. "If you'll come with us to the outer wall, I can prove to you that the war is real!" Aang told the King.

Appalled, the King retorted, "No Earth King has ever been to the outer wall! I don't have any more time to deal with this nonsense." He trotted away from Aang without another word, and all the Avatar could do was watch him walk away, hopeless.

"Wait! If you come with us… This time you can ride on Appa," Sokka bribed. The Earth King stopped dead in tracks, and grinned back at Sokka.

* * *

Appa flew a lot slower than normal, now that he was carrying extra weight. Not only did he have to carry Aang and all his companions, but now he had to carry the Earth King as well as his guards. Ashlynn offered to fly around with her glider, and Aang agreed to join her. Although they were likely the two lightest members of the team, after Toph, it did help to loosen the burden that Appa had to bear.

Appa followed closely behind the two air benders, and all Ashlynn could hear over the winds were the cries of the Earth King. He sounded both scared, and thrilled. She laughed every time the King's cries carried over the winds. Sure, it was dangerous riding Appa bare-back, but she also knew it had to provide at least some fun.

However, his cries stopped as they neared the outer wall. Aang motioned for Ashlynn to return to Appa, and so she allowed the winds to carry her back upon the bison's back. Aang perched himself atop Appa's head, and waited for them to come within sight of the drill.

"What is that?" the King gasped as he saw the large, mechanized drill that jutted out from the bottom of the wall of Ba Sing Se.

"It's a drill, your Highness. It was made by the Fire Nation, and was designed to break through your walls," Sokka explained bitterly. There was no need to sugarcoat it for the King.

When the King had had a good sized view of the drill, Aang landed Appa atop the outer wall, directly above the drill. The King gaped down at it in shock, and was at a loss for words. Ashlynn bit her lip, and remained silent just as her friends were. There were no words that could comfort the King for the moment.

"I can't believe I never knew…" the King murmured to himself. He quivered slightly, and Ashlynn wondered if he were going to start crying.

However, all was interrupted as a familiar voice came from behind them. "I can explain this, your Majesty," Long Feng said calmly as he stepped from the nearby elevator and paced towards the group. "All this is… Is a construction project!" Long Feng exclaimed, and motioned over at the drill.

This time, Katara stepped forward. "Perhaps you'd care to explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia plastered atop your 'construction project'," she spat, and glared up at Long Feng. Even the Earth King frowned upon him, now.

"It's important! You know you can't trust domestic machinery," he quickly lied. This time, however, he began to lose his nerve. Ashlynn sneered at him as she realized he was finally beginning to break, and that the King was at last leaving his side. "Surely you don't believe these children, over your most loyal attendant!" Long Feng shouted at the King furiously.

"Dai Li!" the King shouted, and both Sokka and Ashlynn jumped in surprise at the sudden livid tone his voice beheld. "Arrest Long Feng- I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom," the King commanded confidently. This sudden demand shocked not only Long Feng, but Aang and the Dai Li as well. No one had expected the King to query such a punishment.

Since Long Feng was an earth bender, he was captured in metal cuffs instead of earthen ones. Long Feng protested as the Dai Li dragged him away, but not once did the King lift a single finger to help him out, or grant him release.

* * *

It was late at night, and the moon hovered high above Ba Sing Se. Aang, Ashlynn, and the rest of the company had personally escorted the King back to his palace. Now, he sat upon his throne, with his loyal subjects before him.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for opening my eyes. All this time, I thought Ba Sing Se to be a great metropolis. But really, it's only a city of fools. In essence, that makes me the King of fools. We're at war with the Fire Nation, and I never had a clue!" the King mumbled with disbelief and stress.

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, your Highness," Ashlynn declared, hoping to bring the King out of his astonished state of mind. If they could give him a shred of hope, perhaps he'd agree to help them. The King looked up at them, and it was evident he needed that shred of hope.

Sokka stepped forward as he prepared to back up Ashlynn's claim. "We think you can help us, and the war," he exclaimed.

Next, Aang stepped forward. "We don't have much time. This summer, a comet is arriving. It's energy will give fire benders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable," Aang expressed. The King's hope began to falter even more as Aang told him this.

"There is hope, though! Before that comet arrives there's a single window of opportunity," Sokka illustrated for the King.

"A solar eclipse is coming, your Highness. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and all fire benders will be helpless," Ashlynn clarified finally. The King frowned down at them, confused yet curious.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" he questioned.

"That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation- The day of black sun," Sokka declared.

The Earth King gaped at them in awe. Clearly, he doubted their efforts would make it far. "I don't know… That would require moving the troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be entirely vulnerable!"

"You're already vulnerable! The Fire Nation isn't going to stop until this city falls. You can either sit around and wait for that to happen, because it will, or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting chance!" Sokka affirmed. He stared up at the King as he waited, with hope, for his response.

The King pondered long and hard for a moment, and then smiled down at the group. "Very well- you have my support," he agreed. He grinned even broader as the company cheered, having finally reached their goal after a long and treacherous journey.

Their moment of small celebration was interrupted as another man stepped into the room and walked down the long hall towards the King's throne. He knelt down on one knee beside the group as he paid his respects to his King. "I'm sorry for the interruption, your Highness," he apologized.

The King motioned for him to stand up as he introduced him as 'General How'. "This is the leader of the Council of Five. They are my highest ranking generals."

General How stood up as he said, "We searched Long Feng's office. We found something that will interest everybody." The King raised his eyebrows, and then nodded his head, granting the General permission to bring in what it is they'd found. So, he turned and left the room for a moment. However, minutes later he returned with a second man that carried a large and decorative box with him.

"This box has secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se, including you kids," the General explained as he set the box down on a nearby table. The King stood up from his throne, and followed the group over to the table. The General opened it, and pulled out a scroll. "Toph Bei Fong," he read aloud. Katara took the scroll from him, since Toph was unable to read.

She stretched out the scroll and began to read its contents. "It's a letter from your mom," she said after a moment of reading. "Your mom's here in the city, and she wants to see you," she explained further.

When Katara finished reading, the General pulled a scroll that was addressed to Aang. "It was attached to the horn of your bison when the Dai Li captured him," the General explained. Aang took it curiously, and began to read his as well.

"It's from the Eastern Air Temple," he grinned as he read through it. Its contents interested Ashlynn, but she remained silent as she waited for them to continue searching through the inside of the box.

"Is there anything for Sokka and I?" Katara questioned excitedly.

"I'm afraid not, but this one's addressed to Ashlynn here," the King said, and pulled a small card from the box. Ashlynn raised an eyebrow, wondering who would possibly send her a letter of any sort.

She stepped to the side and blocked out the sounds of the group for a moment. True, she felt sorry for Katara and Sokka, because that was their one chance of possibly receiving news of their father. However, she was far more interested in the small card she had. It was fancy and decorative, and she opened it up. She frowned as it read

_The Jasmine Dragon welcome you to its grand opening within the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. _

_Present this card and receive a free cup of tea._

_Signed,_

_'The Finest Tea Brewer in Ba Sing Se'  
_

On the back of the small card there was a small set of directions that described to her how to get to The Jasmine Dragon. Disappointed, she stuffed the small card into one of her pockets and returned to her companion's side.

"Ashlynn, you wouldn't believe it!" Sokka exclaimed as she neared them again. She gasped as he swiftly wrapped his arms about her waist and embraced her in a sudden hug. Before she could react, he kissed the side of her head and released her from his hold. "Look!" he cried excitedly, and shoved a paper into her hands. She gazed down at it, and read the letter. After a moment she realized it was a report of some sort.

"What is this?" she questioned, wondering why he had become so excited.

"Read who it's lead by!" he nearly squealed. She looked down at the report, and read the words that said '_Lead by Hakoda'_. She looked back up at Sokka and waited for an explanation. "Hakoda is my father!" he squeaked as he grinned broadly at her. She smiled back at him, happier than ever for him. She wrapped his arms about his neck and returned the hug. In return, he squeezed her tightly, and after a moment they broke apart. "What did your letter say?" he questioned after he'd calmed himself down.

"Just some silly invitation to a tea shop," she shrugged. "What about Aang?" she questioned, desiring to quench her curiosity about Aang's scroll that came from the eastern air temple.

"Oh, it's from a Guru. He wants to help Aang take the 'next step in the Avatar journey'. Basically, he wants to help teach Aang how to control the Avatar state," he explained.

"That's great!" Ashlynn replied, and Sokka nodded. If Aang could control the Avatar state, he'd be that much more powerful. "All of this is such big news, where do we even start?" Ashlynn questioned as she looked over at Aang, Katara, and Toph. They'd left Ashlynn and Sokka alone, but clearly a lot had happened in the several moments that Ashlynn had stepped to the side. She looked up at Sokka as she waited for an explanation.

"Well… Katara suggested that we all split up," Sokka muttered and his smile began to falter. Ashlynn glowered up at him as she waited for him to explain further. "Well, each of us has so much to get done. Aang needs to see that Guru, and Katara and I want to go see our dad. Toph's mom is in the city, too. We can't do it all _and _prepare to invade the Fire Nation at the same time."

"I guess… Aang does need to be ready… But, how long will we all be apart?" Ashlynn asked gloomily as she stared up at Sokka.

"Well, Katara offered to stay here and help the King out. You'll still be in the same city as her and Toph. It won't be all bad," he smiled reassuringly at Ashlynn.

"But… How long will you, and I, and Aang be apart?" she asked, growing more miserable by the second. The thought of their happy group being separated for a long time was heartrending to her. They were the closest thing she'd ever had to a family, and she had no desire to be apart from her family. Whatever the Jasmine Dragon held in store for her couldn't be as wonderful as the little family she was now apart of. In addition, she suddenly felt a strong attachment towards Sokka, and didn't want to see him go. She felt her face heat up as she held back tears, and she looked away from Sokka.

Sokka frowned down at her, but was interrupted as Aang, Katara, and Toph finally approached them. "The King's given us a room in the palace to stay in for the night. We'll leave tomorrow," Katara said. Ashlynn nodded at her, but said nothing. A guard advanced towards them a moment later, and offered to escort them to their quarters. They bid the King good night, and followed the guard.

* * *

Ashlynn found herself unable to sleep, even after hours of trying. The familiar snores of her friends filled the room, and she listened to them contentedly, knowing she wouldn't hear them for some time. Finally, she decided she was far too restless, and she rose from her bed. There was a balcony outside their room, and she moved to go sit upon its edge.

The balcony gave a grand view of the upper ring of the city. Somewhere, the tea shop she'd been invited to lay there. The moon hovered high above her, and she gazed up at it. For the first time in a long time, she recalled her experience at the Northern Water Tribe, and thought of Princess Yue as she stared up at the moon. Without her, the moon would be inexistent. She secretly wished that she could do something as noble as the Princess of the Moon had.

She looked down at the ground that lay below her, and swayed her legs back and forth vertically, allowing them to catch some of the cool night air. She grasped the balconies' edge tightly, making sure she wouldn't fall to certain death. She laughed at herself, pondering why she should worry. Even if she did fall, she could just air-bend herself to safety. Then, she relaxed, and took in the fullness of the view and the smell of the nearby flowers.

"Ash?"

It took all of her strength to not fall off the edge as she jumped in surprise at the sound of Sokka's voice. She swiftly brought herself back over the edge of the balcony, and avoided eye contact with Sokka, who stood several feet away from her. "Did I wake you?" she asked quietly, and he shook his head. She turned away from him, and leaned over the balcony and continued to stare out at Ba Sing Se. After a moment, Sokka joined her.

"Why can't you sleep?" he asked her solemnly.

Ashlynn remained silent for a moment, and didn't look over at Sokka. Then, she replied, "You guys are the closest thing I have to a family. Now… I'm losing it for a while. I don't mean to sound selfish… I'm just… Sad, I guess."

Then, she felt Sokka wrap his arms around her and kiss the side of her head softly. She made no movement as he responded, "It won't be for long, I promise." Then, she remained in his embrace in silence, and he never failed to remove his arms from about her until she was ready to get a little more sleep.

* * *

The next morning, the team stood outside the palace. Aang and Sokka climbed upon Appa after a bitter farewell. The King himself came to wish them good luck, and bid them each his own goodbye. One of his guards announced that three soldiers, all women, had come to their aid from the island of Kioshi.

"That's probably Suki," Sokka explained to the King. "They're well trained warriors, and would be a great asset to our efforts. You can trust her."

The King nodded in thanks and gratitude. Then, he turned, with his guards, and left the team to finish off their goodbyes. They watched the King until he was well out of sight.

"I'm really going to miss you guys," Toph said as she stood by Appa.

"You still have Katara and Ashlynn in the city if you need them," Aang explained. Toph nodded, and smiled in Katara and Ashlynn's direction. "We'll be back soon," Aang said as he looked down at Katara. She nodded, and waved up at Aang and her brother. Aang yelled, "Yip-yip!" and then they were off.

Ashlynn watched as Sokka swiftly zoomed out of sight upon Appa's back, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. She grabbed the invitation to the tea shop from within the confinements of her clothes, and looked at the directions provided. She looked up towards the horizon, in the direction of where the tea shop was.

"I guess I'll see you guys around," she said somberly. Katara and Toph nodded, and went their separate ways. Ashlynn inhaled deeply, and back to walk slowly towards The Jasmine Dragon.


	34. Book 2 Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air… Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, and air-bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, the blind earth-bender, Toph, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion…_

**Author's Note**: This marks the finale of Book 2. I'd like to thank all old readers who've stayed, and all new readers who have taken interest and have stuck with this story through its ups and downs. I appreciate it and cannot thank each of you enough. I'd like to make two statements, as I seem to get comments on them often. Firstly, I apologize for my lack of line breakers that indicate a time gap. When I write the stories, I add them in there, but apparently they don't make it onto Fanfiction. Secondly, I have a similar problem with formatting. I apologize for any flaws in the alignment of my chapters. I align it all to be centered, but, like the first problem, it doesn't make it into the final draft. My sincerest apologies. Regardless, enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Ashlynn looked down at her card, and then up at the building that loomed before her. She frowned as she gazed back down at the card, and confirmed that she was in the right place. She sighed, and stuffed the card into the confinements of her clothing. Then, she walked forward.

It was early in the morning, and The Jasmine Dragon was closed. Ashlynn peered in through one window and stared down at the small tables and counter within the back of the shop. The lights were off, and the doors were locked. "Now what am I to do?" Ashlynn muttered to herself as she stepped away from the window. There was no telling when The Jasmine Dragon would open, let alone whether or not the 'grand opening' was even on the same day. It had appeared, however, that it had been used, and it was likely the invitation had been sent out days ago.

Ashlynn groaned as she sat down on a white stone bench that was positioned outside of the tea shop. Luckily, it was in the shade, and so she was able to keep cool. She doubted she would even have a cup of tea; all she wanted was to find out why someone would invite her to a tea shop, and not the rest of her friends. Why just her? It hardly made sense to Ashlynn, but that's why she was there.

* * *

Time seemed to go by slowly. Ashlynn began to wonder if perhaps she should join Katara and help plan out the invasion of the Fire Nation. After several more minutes, she finally stood up, and threw the card on the ground after looking at it one last time. Deciding to depart, at last, she looked up from the ground and at the horizon before her. That's when she saw two figures walking towards The Jasmine Dragon.

The two figures stopped dead in their tracks as they saw her standing in front of the shop. One was short, and chubby, the other slightly taller and much thinner. She shook her head as she thought of Zuko and Iroh, ridiculing herself for thinking of such nonsense. That would be far too coincidental, and as far as she knew, Zuko hated her for her ability to air bend. For that reason, she was marked a traitor and enemy of his nation. Their last encounter together hadn't helped their relationship in anyway. She scowled as she recalled watching Zuko try to master the element of conjuring lightning. No, there was no way he would welcome her with open arms now.

She peered over at the two figures, but groaned and looked away as the sun blinded her and prevented her from getting a better look. She turned around, and retreated to the shade. She spun about once more when she heard one of the two people run towards her. She gasped as the one who approached her took her in his arms, wrapping one arm about her waist and placing his hand upon the back of her head, holding her close. She pushed away, shocked, and looked right up into the face of Zuko.

"Ashlynn!" he cried out as he looked down at her. Ashlynn felt her jaw drop slightly, but she could not find the words to say to him. He did not wait for her to speak before embracing her once more in a soft, yet strong hug. "You're actually here!" he exclaimed with such enthusiasm that Ashlynn began to doubt whether it was really Zuko.

"It's great to see you again, Ashlynn," said Iroh as he approached the pair. Zuko released Ashlynn again, so that she may greet Iroh. Iroh beamed at her happily as she looked back and forth from him to Zuko. A single tear ran down Zuko's face, and he quickly swept it away. He blushed, and looked away from Ashlynn for a moment.

"This is… Your tea shop?" Ashlynn stammered after more moments of silence. Iroh grinned broadly at her, and nodded in response. "I don't believe it! What are you two doing in Ba Sing Se? Do you live in the upper ring? How did all this happen?" she questioned swiftly.

"It hardly matters, Ash. We're happy, we live a good life. We're blessed to own such a place! Uncle produces the greatest tea around. We're here out of a pure blessing! But you- what are YOU doing here?" Zuko queried. He grasped both Ashlynn's hands in his own and looked down at her with a soft smile.

Ashlynn looked down at their hands as she tried to find words once more. How was it that Zuko suddenly forgave her for all the things he'd once hated her for? Why was he so cheery? Why hadn't he asked her about Aang? What had happened to make him like he was? "I… I got an invitation! It had directions leading here," she stuttered finally and looked back up at Zuko.

"Uncle, you invited her here?" he asked as he turned to look at Iroh.

"I, well, I invited her to the grand opening! When you told me there was news of the Avatar being in Ba Sing Se I figured she must be here as well. It would have been wonderful for her to have seen the opening of The Jasmine Dragon," Iroh quickly replied. Something about his tone of voice led Ashlynn to believe that what he said wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Is it true, Ash?" Zuko turned back to look down at her. She looked up at him curiously, and he said, "Is the Avatar here? Are you with him?"

Ashlynn felt her face drop as she realized that, despite his cheerful mood and optimism, he still clung to the hope of finding Aang and bringing him back to his father. "We split up," she said matter-of-factly, and tugged her hands away from Zuko's. He kept a stern gaze on her for a moment, and then his face softened into a sweet smile.

"Come on, I want to show you how to brew some of the finest tea!" he laughed lightly, and grasped Ashlynn's hand once more. He tugged her behind him, and opened the door to the shop. Ashlynn could hear Iroh laughing as he followed them. He was, no doubt, thrilled that his nephew was in such high spirits.

* * *

"What… happened, Iroh?" Ashlynn inquired once she'd managed to get Iroh aside while Zuko was distracted. She watched as Zuko happily walked to each table, serving every customer with care and ease. She was happy for him, but desired to know what had happened to cause such a change. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for him. I haven't seen him this way in so long. It's just, based on our last meeting…" Ashlynn trailed off, not wishing to recall, again, their previous reunion.

"Zuko was presented with a life-altering opportunity. I am proud to say that he chose the path of good. However, once he had done so, he became very ill. I sat by his side until he was well again. This morning, when he awoke, he was a changed man. He was… Like this," Iroh said softly, and motioned towards Zuko. "I believe that he is now willing to forgive you, and that he looks past what you are, and accepts who you are with a grateful heart. He needs you, Ashlynn. That invitation… I mailed it out to you while he was ill, hoping you would make it here and be by his side. He needed you most, then. He cried out your name in his sleep as his mind became clouded with nightmares. But, luckily, he made it out okay," Iroh finished calmly, and then walked away to serve another customer tea.

Zuko paced back over to the counter and set his empty pot of tea down. He slowly walked over to Ashlynn, and stood directly beside her. "Isn't this great? Uncle is happier than ever. He deserves something such as this," he said, just loud enough for Ashlynn to hear.

Ashlynn smiled up at him and nodded in agreement. "This place is wonderful, Zuko. I'm glad you've found a place that's made you so happy," she responded tenderly. She looked up at Zuko and smiled delicately. She blushed as Zuko returned a smile, and she looked away. Zuko reached down and grasped her hand, intertwining her fingers with hers. She grasped his hand in return, and together they stood in silence, watching the customers pour in, and file out.

* * *

When it was midday, Zuko approached Ashlynn again. She stood behind the counter, washing the teacups as she hummed merrily to herself. She set down the cup she currently held, and turned about to face Zuko. She gazed up at him curiously, wondering what he wanted to say.

"Ash… I… I want you stay with us. We're happy here. You could be happy here, too. I want you here… With me…" Zuko muttered, choking on every other word as he tried to force his feelings out. He blushed, but stayed strong as he refused to look away from his friend.

"Oh, Zuko…" Ashlynn replied quietly, and sighed as she thought of a way to respond. True, she wanted to stay here with Zuko. He had always been her closest friend, and he was finally the way he should've always been. But, she also knew that she was loyal to Aang, and had no desire to betray him, or Katara and Sokka, nor Toph. Unsure of what to say, she placed a hand flat upon Zuko's chest.

Zuko stared down at her hand, and then grasped it tightly with his own. Ashlynn stepped forward and hugged him about his neck. After a moment, he embraced her as well. As they hugged, Ashlynn stared out over Zuko's shoulder at the customers that sat happily at their tables before them. She felt her face drop, and her arms loosen, however, as she recognized Katara entering the shop.

Likewise, Katara recognized Ashlynn. However, not only did she recognize Ashlynn, but she also recognized Iroh and Zuko. Katara shot Ashlynn a look of loathing, and then took off towards the Earth King's palace.

"Oh no," Ashlynn muttered and pushed herself away from Zuko.

"What is it?" Zuko asked worriedly. He looked up at the door, and Ashlynn saw the look of recognition spread across his face as he watched Katara run away. He rapidly turned his head to look down at Ashlynn as he began to panic. Ashlynn could see clearly that he was desperate for her to not leave his side.

"I'll be back, I promise. Just let me take care of this," she explained, and then without another word she began to run after Katara.

* * *

"Katara!" Ashlynn shouted after her friend as she watched her rush away towards the palace. What would Katara tell the King? Would she just rat out Zuko and Iroh and uproot their small, happy life? Or would she go further, and make Ashlynn out to be an enemy as well? Either way, the outcome was sure to not be so good. Ashlynn stopped suddenly, and created a ball of air. Remembering Aang's techniques, she balanced herself upon the ball and used it to pursue Katara at a quicker speed.

Much to her surprise, however, Katara stopped and turned to face Ashlynn for a second. Before Ashlynn could comprehend what was occurring, Katara drew up a whip of water from a nearby barrel and cast it at Ashlynn. The cool water wrapped tightly about one of her ankles, and Katara brought one arm down fiercely, forcing Ashlynn to stumble off her ball of air and collapse upon the stone floor. She felt the water around her ankle form into an encasement of ice, holding her there. Then, Katara began to continue on her way to the palace.

Ashlynn punched the ground with one fist in frustration. She wriggled her ankle about, trying to free herself. Katara had gone easy on her she realized as she took note that the ice was thin. Perhaps Katara didn't blame her so much after-all.

Finally, the thin ice broke clean, and Ashlynn jumped to her feet. Once again she summoned the swirling ball of air, and sped off towards the palace. As she neared the palace she saw Katara darting up the stairs. "Katara!" she called after her. She began to charge up the stairs as well, shouting, "I can explain. Would you please just… Katara!"

Katara burst through the front doors of the palace and began to race down to the throne-room. Ashlynn followed closely behind her, and was grateful that Katara had chosen not to cast more water at her. Soon enough, though, she entered the throne-room. Inside, the King was missing, but three Kioshi warriors stood inside. Ashlynn slowed her running down to a soft pace as she tried to remember the names of the warriors. None of them appeared to be Suki. She stopped as subtle recognition clouded her mind.

"Thank goodness you're here, Suki. Something awful is going on! The Fire Nation has invaded Ba Sing Se. We need to tell the Earth King! I just saw Prince Zuko and I…" Katara began to explain, but Ashlynn stopped her. Ashlynn gripped Katara's shoulder tightly and tried to pull her back.

"Katara we need to get out of here!" Ashlynn hissed. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Azula, clad in the uniform of a Kioshi warrior step from the nearby shadows.

"Don't worry. We can deliver the message right away!" she sneered, and released a hearty yet malicious chuckle to follow.

Ashlynn shoved Katara out of the way just as Mai shot several throwing knives in their direction. Now, a gap stood between the two of them, but they had both successfully narrowly escaped a cut upon their bodies. However, that didn't stop Tai Li, for she leapt right in towards Katara. Ashlynn shot forth a gust of wind in her direction, but she bounded away from it. Before Katara would react, Tai Li struck her in the side and both her arms. Her chi became instantly blocked, and she collapsed to the floor.

Tai Li bounded over to Ashlynn next. However, Ashlynn was just as agile as Tai Li now. Ashlynn ducked, and rolled to the side as Tai Li moved to strike her as well. As Ashlynn rolled upon the floor, she kicked her legs out in an attempt to trip Tai Li. However, Tai Li hopped right over her legs.

"Tai Li!" Azula called out, and Tai Li paused. Ashlynn took the opportunity to regain a standing posture. She looked over at Azula, and watched as she called Tai Li to her side. Tai Li bounded away without so much as a glance in Ashlynn's direction. Ashlynn exhaled abruptly, and swept the sweat from her forehead as she tucked a lock of hair behind one ear.

"Seeing as you're a traitor, Ashlynn, I should kill you right here. There's nothing for me to gain by locking you up in a prison, aside my father's praise. But, he'll grant me higher praise if I just bring you back dead," Azula declared wickedly as she casually stepped down from the stage that the King's throne sat upon.

Ashlynn held her arms out in welcoming as she said, "So come on and get on with it, Azula!"

Azula stopped and pondered the suggestion for a moment. "No, I think not. See, my brother cares too much about your life. I can easily use that against him," she sighed, and yawned as she looked away from Ashlynn.

Flashbacks of Azula tormenting her and Zuko throughout their lives began to floor Ashlynn's mind. She screamed in rage, finally, and charged at Azula. She couldn't do much with air bending, but she wasn't about to let Azula have her way with her. How dare she suggest using Ashlynn to get to Zuko! No, Ashlynn wouldn't allow such a thing.

Azula scowled as she saw Ashlynn charge towards her. She thrust an arm out before her and sent a line of fire soaring at Ashlynn. Ashlynn stopped, and thrust her arms out before her. A gust of wind the size of the flame shot forward. The two collided, and caused one another's destruction, leaving the two women unharmed. Ashlynn closed in on Azula and moved to punch her across the face. Azula ducked to one side, and thrust a hand at Ashlynn's ribs. Ashlynn summoned a current of air between the two, and sent them flying in opposite directions of one another.

Azula did several back flips to keep herself from falling flat on her behind. Ashlynn collided directly into a wall, but quickly regained her fighting stance. Together, they charged at one another. Azula's hand lit up with blue flame, while a small breeze began to form in one of Ashlynn's palms. When they neared one another, they swiped at each other's faces once more. Azula ducked away from Ashlynn's hand, but continued to swing her hand across the side of Ashlynn's face.

Ashlynn cried out in pain and rage as she felt Azula's nails, imbued with a soft flame, tear across her skin from the base of her ear over to the side of her nose. While she was taken off guard, Azula kicked her in the gut, and she tumbled over. While she was down, Tai Li cart wheeled over to her and placed metal cuffs about her wrists. Her hands were instantly bound behind her back, and Ashlynn could barely hear the sound of a chain being attach to the metal cuffs.

"Keep her here. Throw the other girl elsewhere. While you're at it, send an invitation to my brother. Since he's in the city, we might as well have… A family reunion," Azula said to Tai Li and Mai.

Ashlynn fixated her eyes upon Katara, but couldn't muster the strength to call after her or attempt to rescue her. Katara, still paralyzed, could do nothing as Tai Li and Mai dragged her away. When she was out of sight, Ashlynn gazed up at Azula, and waited for her to do something.

"You look ridiculous with those scratch marks on your face. I hope they scar," Azula spat, and kicked Ashlynn in the gut once more. Ashlynn groaned from the pain, and then inhaled sharply and bit her lip as the wound upon her face flared up. "Oh, get up you fool," Azula said, and tugged Ashlynn to her feet. "My brother will be here soon."

* * *

There was a split moment in which Ashlynn was presented with the opportunity to escape. Azula, having malevolently covered control of the Dai Li, departed from the palace to go speak with them. Ashlynn was left un-guarded, and merely in chains. Yet, she refused to set herself free, because she was afraid for Zuko. Instead, she waited patiently for Azula to return.

Ashlynn could only guess that Azula had predicted Ashlynn's lack of actions to be thus. Azula was too much of a people-person; she knew their motives, and what sparked an emotion in each of them. She knew their strengths and weaknesses. Azula knew that Ashlynn was Zuko's weakness, and vice versa. She was cunning, and she was smart. To Ashlynn, Azula was everything that the face of the enemy should be.

Azula returned shortly after her departure with a dozen Dai Li agents. She casually introduced them to Ashlynn, although they remained silent.

"My brother and Uncle will be here any moment. You men are to help me with their capture. Understood?" Azula commanded, and they each nodded their head in unison.

Ashlynn perked up as she heard Zuko's voice coming from the room beside them. "Zu-" she began to scream, but Azula swiftly clamped a hand about her mouth. She glared down at Ashlynn, and gave the Dai Li the 'okay' to go and greet her family. They filed out, one by one, leaving Azula with Ashlynn.

"Get up, you swine," Azula muttered angrily as she grasped the chain that was attached to Ashlynn's cuffs. She tugged Ashlynn to her feet once more, and dragged her out to greet Zuko and Iroh. Ashlynn trailed silently behind her, wincing from the pain in her face.

"Hello there, Zu-Zu" Azula greeted sweetly. Ashlynn's head remained bowed as she tried to think of some way to escape, or of some way to help Zuko.

"Azula!" Zuko barked as he stood up. Iroh stood up with them, although neither could reach Azula. The Dai Li stood between them, remaining as a protective barrier for Azula.

"Have you met the Dai Li, brother? They have a killer instinct that seems so much like the Fire Nation," Azula scoffed with a slight snicker. The Dai Li remained immobile.

Ashlynn's head snapped up suddenly as she stared directly at Zuko. "Zuko, get out of here! Run!" she yelled at him hastily. It was all she could get out before Azula turned around and slapped her clear across the face. Ashlynn cried out as her scratch marks burst out in more pain than before.

"Ash!" Zuko cried out and tried to step towards her. The Dai Li, however, stepped in-between them, creating a tighter formation of protection. Ashlynn felt Azula place two fingertips, ablaze with a blue flame, near her neck threateningly.

"Step down, brother, or she dies!" Azula screamed as she pressed her fingers closer. Ashlynn could feel herself choking on tears- not out of fear for herself, but of fear for Zuko. He'd come so far and had finally accomplished obtaining a normal life. It would hardly be fair for Azula to come and destroy everything good for him.

Ashlynn gazed up at Zuko as she sobbed, and watched as he involuntarily brought one of his hands to his own scar as he stared at her. Now, Ashlynn had a mark of pain of her own, although it lay across the opposite side. Not to mention hers were only four lines that stretched across one side of her face, and not an entire burn mark that lapped over one eye. Yet, they were close to matching.

"Did I ever tell you how I was nicknamed 'The Dragon of the West'?" Iroh asked suddenly, interrupting the brief moment that Ashlynn and Zuko had held.

Ashlynn stopped sobbing for a moment, trying to predict Iroh's next move. Zuko, realizing what it was, smiled softly at Ashlynn. Ashlynn nodded in understanding, and prepared to make a run for it. Iroh picked up a cup of tea, and took a sip. Then, Zuko ducked down just as a roaring fire began to shoot right from Iroh's mouth, causing each Dai Li agent to either duck or flee.

Seizing the opportunity, Ashlynn ripped herself away from Azula's grasp. As Azula snatched through the air, trying desperately to grab hold of Ashlynn once more, Ashlynn allowed herself to roll onto her back. She curled up into a ball, and then shot her legs forward forcefully, and sent a large wind directly at Azula. Azula cried out in rage as she lost balance and toppled over.

Zuko ran over to Ashlynn and helped her stand up. "Go!" he yelled at her, pushing her forward. Although Ashlynn's hands were still bound, she ran forward after Iroh, who was in the process of bursting through a wall in an attempt to escape. Zuko followed closely behind Ashlynn.

As they ran, Ashlynn heard Zuko let out a fierce cry, and then felt him bring a single hand down upon the chain. Using his brawn and his fire, he broke clear through the metal cuffs, freeing Ashlynn's hands. Zuko urged her to run faster, and so she did.

Soon, Iroh burst through a final wall that led to the outside. He leapt down, and motioned for Zuko and Ashlynn to follow. "You'll be fine!" he reassured them.

Ashlynn looked up at Zuko, and he shook his head at her. "No, I'm tired of running! It's time I faced Azula," he declared, and turned away from Ashlynn and his Uncle. He stepped forward, but Ashlynn stopped him.

Ashlynn grasped his hand firmly, reassuringly, and gazed up at him with a small smile. "I'll stay with you," she whispered. Zuko nodded, and pulled his hand away from hers. He held his hands out before him as he waited for Azula. Ashlynn did the same.

Azula approached slowly after a moment, followed by the Dai Li. However, they stopped in front of Zuko and Ashlynn, and did not attack. "You're so dramatic," Azula groaned in annoyance as she eyed Zuko up and down. She frowned as she saw Ashlynn standing by his side. Her plan to use her against Zuko had failed, and that irritated her, Ashlynn could tell. Azula shot her gaze at Zuko once more as she questioned, "What, Zuko? Are you going to _challenge _me to an Agni-Kai?"

"Yes! I challenge you," Zuko declared without a moments thought.

"No thanks," Azula yawned carelessly, and turned her back on her brother. In frustration, Zuko cast a large wall of fire at Azula. However, the Dai Li stepped forward, and bended a wall of earth to disperse the flame and protect Azula. Then, before he or Ashlynn could react, they cast forth the earthen hands that instantly bound their hands and feet.

Then, one agent stepped forward and blind-folded them both. Ashlynn could feel herself being lifted, but was unable to do anything about it while her hands and feet were bound. She struggled to be free, but they kept a firm grip on her. Nearby, she could hear Zuko struggling as well. Yet, they were forcefully pulled away.

* * *

"You've got company," one Dai Li agent spoke harshly. The sound of rock sliding against rock could be heard, and then Ashlynn's bonds were released. Still blindfolded, Ashlynn was thrust forward, and she screamed as she felt herself tumble down an earthen tunnel. She sat up instantly, and tugged her blindfold off.

Ashlynn was forced to squint when she was greeted by bright lights that radiated off what appeared to be crystals in the surrounding area. She blinked several times, trying to adjust to the light in the cavern. She looked behind her, and saw the Dai Li throw Zuko down the earthly tunnel as well. Zuko rolled down with a cry, and collapsed beside Ashlynn.

Ashlynn, now crying out of frustration, fear, and worry, crawled over to Zuko. She brought his head into her lap and pulled his blindfold off for him. "Are you alright?" she managed to say as she choked on some tears. Zuko instantly sat up and nodded at Ashlynn. His gaze formed into a frown as he surveyed Ashlynn's facial wound once more. He stretched a hand out at her and touched her cheek, careful to not touch the scratches.

"Zuko? Ashlynn?" came a familiar voice.

Ashlynn looked up beside her and recognized Katara. "Katara!" Ashlynn cried out as she stood up. She grinned at her friend, but Katara did not return it. Katara, instead, glowered angrily at Ashlynn as she backed away.

"Why did they put you two in here?" Katara spat as she backed away. Ashlynn opened her mouth, but Katara spoke first, "This is a trap, isn't it? You're here to help Zuko capture Aang! You both know he'll come to rescue me, so Zuko can finally get him! You traitor, Ashlynn! How dare you betray us! How dare you betray my brother!"

Ashlynn stopped walking towards Katara as she thought about Sokka. She began to wonder if perhaps Katara had overheard them that one evening. What had she thought about them, then? And, what did she think of Ashlynn now? Ashlynn realized Katara's perspective as she thought of this, and was instantly at a loss for words.

"You're a terrible person!" Katara spat in Zuko's direction.

"Leave him alone Katara," Ashlynn snarled.

Ignoring her, Katara walked closer to Zuko. "You're always following us, and hunting us down. Why would you even try to capture what is the world's last hope for peace? What a selfish thing to try and do! I get it though- you don't care. Spreading war and violence is in your blood, being the son of the Fire Lord and all," Katara growled, and paced away from Zuko.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Zuko muttered solemnly.

"Oh, don't I?" Katara quarreled.

"Katara, stop it!" Ashlynn screamed at Katara. Defending Zuko wouldn't help her, but at least it might help Zuko.

Katara drew her stern gaze upon Ashlynn. "And what about you, Ashlynn? Are you really with Zuko- part of his whole plot to catch Aang? Have you been given him tips on where to find us? Is that how he ended up in Ba Sing Se? I don't get it, Ashlynn! You give my brother all the affection in the world, train to be an air bender under Aang, and spend plenty of time with Toph and I. All this time… It was a lie?" Katara accused without a second to pause and think.

"Katara, listen to yourself! Think about what you're saying! How can any of this be true?" Ashlynn stammered in disbelief. Zuko, now, stood up to be by Ashlynn's side.

"Ashlynn left me, and for good reason. She's never betrayed you," Zuko said, and Ashlynn took note of a hint of sadness. She wondered if Zuko had read too much into Katara's statement about she and Sokka.

"And you say I have no idea what I'm talking about? Listen, _Prince_ Zuko- you have no idea what this war has put me through! You don't know anything about me! Your beloved nation took my mother away!" Katara cried out, and finally turned around to kneel upon the floor and begin to release her frustration in the form of tears. Ashlynn backed away, and sat down in a corner in silence. She had no desire to harm Katara- not after all they'd been through, and especially not as she cried whilst trying to cope with the death of her mother.

"I'm sorry. But you see, that's something we have in common," Zuko said softly, and he sat down on the ground where he stood. Katara stopped crying suddenly, and looked over at Zuko with a slight sense of belief and trust. She stood up, and walked slightly closer to him, but still stayed a short distance away. Zuko stood up as well.

Katara looked from Zuko, to Ashlynn, then back to Zuko. Her face softened, and she said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. Both of you."

"It doesn't matter," Zuko muttered in response. He walked over to Ashlynn and offered her a hand. She gave him a gentle smile, and took his hand. He tugged her up onto her feet, and nodded at her reassuringly.

Katara, ignoring their small moment, pressed onward, "It's just- For so long now, I realize, whenever I picture the face of the enemy, I see your face, Zuko."

Zuko turned to face her, and pondered what she had said before reacting. He brought a hand up to his scar and, almost as if he were speaking to himself, he said, "My face…"

"That's- no, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant," Katara spluttered clumsily in an attempt to apologize to Zuko. Ashlynn, like Zuko, brought a hand up to her own face. She winced as she lightly ran her fingertips across the jagged lines that stretched from her cheek to her ear, and wished there was a reflective surface nearby for her to see how it appeared. It, likely, looked horrific, but she would grow used to it.

Zuko's voice brought Ashlynn's attention back to the current moment. "It's okay," he said, "I used to think that this scar marked me. Like it were the mark of the banished prince, whom was cursed to chase the Avatar forever. Lately, though, I've realized that I'm free to determine my own destiny- even though I'll never be free of this mark."

Ashlynn smiled up at Zuko proudly. She was delighted, and thankful, that he had finally seen that small light that she and Iroh had been waiting for him to see. Finally, he had chosen the right path- the path of good.

Zuko smiled down at her, and in that small smile Ashlynn was able to see all the affection and care that Zuko held for her. Her heart swelled with happiness, and she felt as though she were going to burst. Zuko, however, turned back towards Katara as she suggested, "Perhaps you could be free of your scar." Katara stepped towards Zuko and said, "I have healing abilities."

"It's a scar," he exacted doubtfully. Even Ashlynn couldn't think of a way for his scar to heal over. "It can't be healed," he trailed off disappointedly.

Katara reached into the confinements of her garments and pulled out a small vial. Ashlynn recognized it as a gift she'd received at the North Pole. "This is water from the spirit oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been waiting for the right moment to use it," Katara explained to Zuko. Zuko's face lit up with such hope and energy that Ashlynn couldn't help but feel hopeful as well.

Then, however, Ashlynn jumped clear out of her skin from fright as a nearby wall burst open. Crystal and rock flew in every direction, and the sound that was made could have been loud enough to be considered a real explosion. She stood up as a reaction, and prepared to be attack. However, she recognized Iroh and Aang as they stepped through the rubble. "Aang!" Katara exclaimed happily, and ran to hug Aang tightly. Likewise, Iroh ran for Zuko.

"Uncle, I don't understand! What are you doing with the Avatar?" Zuko snapped scornfully at his Uncle. Iroh shook his head in disbelief, and looked over at Aang. Iroh and Ashlynn, both, grasped Zuko's arm as he tried to charge after Aang.

"We were saving you!" Aang spat in annoyance. Zuko growled at him, but Iroh and Ashlynn prevented him from moving forward.

"Zuko!" Ashlynn hissed, and stepped in front of him. Zuko stared down at her incredulously, unable to comprehend why now, of all times, she'd choose to prevent him from capturing what he most desired.

Iroh motioned for Aang and Katara to leave. "Go, I'll catch up," Ashlynn followed with a quick smile. Aang and Katara nodded, and swiftly departed from the prison hold.

* * *

"Why? Why, Uncle?" Zuko pondered aloud to Iroh, although he did not turn to face him. Instead, he turned his body to the side, keeping himself turned away from Iroh. Ashlynn could not tell if he was upset, or angry with his Uncle.

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. Now, you are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been!" Iroh claimed, and Ashlynn smiled lightly as he said this. She realized that everything he was saying was, in fact, true of Zuko. For this, she was deeply proud of her friend and greatly happy for his Uncle. "Now, you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to chose, my nephew. It's time for you to choose the path of good," Iroh declared softly, and gazed sternly at Zuko, even though he did not turn to face Iroh.

The ground beneath them suddenly rumbled, and Ashlynn saw how a trail of crystal began to rise up from the ground before them. No, it was rising _towards_ them. It avoided Zuko completely, and rose up around Iroh. Next, a similar crystallized prison escalated about Ashlynn, and she cried out in surprise as it jutted up and closed her in tightly. She wriggled about, but could not get a single bit of the formation to budge.

Zuko took a step towards her and grasped the crystal. He pulled on it roughly, but to no avail. He groaned fiercely in frustration and punched at the crystal. Then, he turned about quickly as he heard Azula say, "I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle. But… Zuko- _Prince_ Zuko… You're a lot of things, but I know you're not a traitor- right?"

"Release them! Immediately!" Zuko demanded, and waved a hand back at Iroh and Ashlynn in swift indication.

Azula ignored his commands entirely. Instead, she continued, "It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself and reclaim your honor!" her face turned into a malicious grin. The blood in Ashlynn's veins began to boil as she grew angrier and more desperate to take out Azula.

"Don't listen to her Zuko!" Ashlynn cried out in rage, as well as panic. Zuko did not turn back around to face her, although his body language read that he had heard her. Azula frowned at her, but did not make a move to shut her up in any way.

"Zuko, the kind of redemption that she offers is not for you," Iroh responded, and sounded almost as though he were begging. If he were, Ashlynn could hardly blame him. They cared about Zuko equally, and knew what was best for him.

"Let him decide, Uncle!" Azula retorted bitterly. The hint of irritation clung subtly to her lips, and Ashlynn smirked as she recognized it. Azula brought her gaze back to her brother as she said, "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this glorious day! But, the only way we win, is together. By the end of today, you'll have your honor back! You'll have father's love, and everything you ever wanted."

"Zuko, listen to me. Look into your heart. See what it is you truly want," Iroh uttered quietly. Azula frowned upon him once more, but Iroh ignored her. After a moment, Zuko turned around and stared directly at Ashlynn. He appeared sad, and held the look of longing. Ashlynn begged him with her eyes, pleading for him to choose the right thing. Zuko turned, and looked down at the floor as he thought long and hard.

"You are free to choose," Azula said. She raised a single hand, and the Dai Li agents she'd brought with her bended their way up and out of the crystal cavern. Azula walked away and down a dark tunnel, and ceased to be seen.

When Azula had left, Ashlynn brought her gaze upon Zuko. "Zuko, please!" she begged. Iroh, however, said nothing. He remained silent as he stared at his nephew. Zuko remained immobile as he pondered everything. Then, he finally straightened up, and turned to face Ashlynn and Iroh. He stared at each of them in turn, and then walked after Azula.

Ashlynn's eyes widened with fear and disbelief as he walked past Iroh and Ashlynn. "Zuko, no! Wait!" she yelled after him. She tried to break the crystal about her, but she hardly had the strength to do so. She screamed in agony and anger, trying to call Zuko back to them. But he never came.

* * *

"Iroh, what are we to do?" Ashlynn stammered as she turned her head to look at Iroh. She could see several tears fall down his face, and as she watched them she realized that she'd begun to cry as well. "Iroh there must be something we can do!" she shouted again.

"No, Ashlynn. He has chosen for himself. There is nothing we can do now," he answered quietly. Ashlynn hadn't heard him sound so sad since the day Zuko was burned and banished. It broke her heart to hear him in such a way, but she knew that now was not the time to express sympathy.

Ashlynn, desperate, looked closely at the crystal around her. She bit her lip as she thought about what to do, and then inhaled deeply. She shut her eyes, and tried to feel the small bit of air that surrounded them underground. After a moment, she felt calmed, for she could sense the air currents and the oxygen flowing about them. She inhaled deeply once more, bringing in some more of the currents. She exhaled through her nose once, and could feel the air being released upon her body.

Then, she cried out loudly as she summoned a massive shield of air about her. The winds were the strongest she'd ever managed to create. As the bubble of air grew larger and stronger, they burst through the crystal, shattering the prison instantly, and throwing pieces of rock and gemstone in every direction. She collapsed upon the floor once she was freed, but swiftly stood up. She ran over to Iroh, and began to pull roughly at the crystal surrounding him.

"Go after your friends. I'll be right behind you," he told her. Ashlynn released her grip on the crystal, and nodded at Iroh. Without another word, she darted down the tunnel that Zuko and Azula had gone through.

* * *

Ashlynn came in full view of an epic battle between Zuko, Azula, Katara and Aang. However, Aang was collapsed on the other side of the crystal cavern, and Katara was forced to face Azula and Zuko alone. Ashlynn screamed in rage as she charged after Azula and Zuko. However, she was too late, for just as she drew in on them, their fires combined threw Katara backwards off her feet. She collided with the crystal in a nearby wall, and crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"Zuko!" Ashlynn screamed at him. He turned around to face her, and Azula merely smirked. Azula yawned, and sat back, as though it were to be a short-lived battle. Flames burst from Zuko's hands as he watched Ashlynn run towards him. Ashlynn half expected him to back down, but she figured it was too late for that.

As she drew closer to him, he cast a line of fire at her. She screamed as she bended a gust of wind to deflect the pitiful flame. In return, she thrust an arm forward and sent a large wind after Zuko. He raised his hands up before him, and deflected that with his own fire.

A rumbling came from nearby, and Aang rose from the earth. Azula stood up, then, and fumed as she saw Aang coming right towards her. Thus, she decided to take Aang on her own while her brother was busy with Ashlynn, who was now nearing in on Zuko.

Ashlynn thrust a punch towards Zuko's gut, but he swiftly leapt to the side. He brought a leg upward and cast it towards Ashlynn, trying to send more flames at her. She brought an arm up and sent another wind at it, although this time it overpowered the fire so greatly that the winds travelled after Zuko. He was instantly knocked down to the floor, and he cried out as he collided with the hard ground.

"How could you betray me? How could you betray your Uncle? You fool, Zuko!" Ashlynn raged as she charged after Zuko again. Zuko rolled away from her, and stood back onto his feet. The words had ceased to change him at all, for he began to rapidly cast some fireballs in Ashlynn's direction. She deflected them with her hands, keeping her fists enclosed by air. When Zuko stopped for a moment to catch his breath, Ashlynn shot forth yet another gust of air at him. He was struck again, and screamed with fury as he hit the ground.

Ashlynn ran after him, now, and prepared to kick him in the gut. However, a Dai Li agent jumped in from the shadows and moved the ground beneath her feet. She cried out in surprise as she was sent flying in another direction. Once she collided with the floor, she rolled several times until her body struck an earthen wall. She howled with pain as every muscle and bone in her body began to ache.

She looked up, now, and saw dozens of Dai Li agents leap in from above. They surrounded the area, and joined forces with Azula and Zuko. Now, there was hardly any hope, despite the fact that Katara had regained consciousness and was attempting to fend off some of the agents. Aang, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Ashlynn groaned as she stood up, and blinked several times to try and keep her vision clear. She could feel herself drifting off, but she attempted to remain strong. She shook her head, and held her hands out before her in an offensive position. Zuko stepped forward, with several Dai Li agents behind him. "You've lost this battle, Ashlynn," he stated seriously.

Yet, something drew the attention of them both. Ashlynn's eyes darted to the side as she saw Aang, entirely in the Avatar state, rise from the ground. She smiled up at him, knowing now they at least had some hope. Aang could take down everyone in the area with ease.

Suddenly, Aang was struck with lightning. Ashlynn's jaw dropped with fear and worry, and she saw that the lightning bolt had come directly from Azula. Aang twitched, and writhed, and fell to the floor. Katara and Ashlynn ran after him, and Ashlynn ignored and avoided the bolts of fire that Zuko was casting after her. Katara reached Aang first, and caught him before he hit the ground.

Ashlynn knelt down beside them, and saw that Katara, like her, had tears streaming down her face. The glow from Aang's body had stopped, and he had ceased to move. Ashlynn, now, feared the worst. She noticed Zuko and Azula closing in on them, and she stood up to act as a shield for Katara and Aang. "Don't you dare touch either of them," she snarled angrily.

Then, large streams of fire came in from the side, and Iroh stepped in between Zuko, Azula, and Ashlynn. "Go!" he shouted. He thrust more fire at his niece and nephew as he said, "I will hold them off as long as I can. Leave, now!"

Ashlynn turned around, and helped Katara lift Aang up. They ran off towards a waterfall, where Katara managed to bend an 'elevator' of water. They rose up and above the surface, where the night sky greeted them. Now that they were safe, for the moment, they collapsed upon the cool stone floors of the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. "Oh, Aang," Katara sobbed as she brought the Avatar's head into her lap. Ashlynn crawled over to them, and placed her ear against Aang's chest.

Her heart leapt as she failed to hear a heartbeat. She began to sob just as Katara was, but could not think of what to do. Just then, though, the roar of Appa was heard. Ashlynn looked up and saw the furry bison flying towards them. He landed softly on the ground nearby, and Sokka and Toph leapt from his back.

"What happened?" Sokka questioned as he saw Aang. He fell to the ground beside them, and examined Aang as well.

"He… Was attacked… In the Avatar state!" Ashlynn choked. Sokka's jaw dropped as he realized what it could've meant- that the Avatar might cease to exist, now.

"Come on," he muttered, and lifted Aang. Katara and Ashlynn stood up with him. Ashlynn grasped Katara's hand reassuringly, and Katara, without looking at Ashlynn, did the same. They followed Sokka back to Appa, and mounted upon his back, where the Earth King and Basco were perched as well.

* * *

"Is he going to be okay?" Toph asked a half of an hour later.

Appa soared through the night sky, while Katara examined Aang's wound. Ashlynn had curled herself into Sokka's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He ran a hand over her hair, trying to comfort her. She hadn't told him everything that happened with Zuko, but she had explained how she got the scratches on her face when he'd asked. He'd then proceeded to hand her her staff, explaining how they'd made a stop at their apartment to gather the necessary belongings before going to find her, Katara, and Aang.

"We'll have to see," Katara responded. She pulled out the vial of water that she'd received from the spirit oasis, and inhaled deeply. She propped Aang up, and brought him forward so that he leaned against her. She peered down at the clear hole in his back where Azula had struck him, and used the water, combined with her healing powers, to place it into his wound.

Suddenly, Aang awoke, and groaned, and coughed. Everyone, including Ashlynn, looked up to confirm what they'd heard. Everyone cheered as they realized that Aang was going to be okay, and Katara brought Aang forward in a hug. Ashlynn smiled at Aang and Katara, and Sokka brought her into a tighter hug.

Hope had been rekindled.


	35. Book 3 Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air… Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, and air-bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, the blind earth-bender, Toph, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion…_

**Author's Note**: Hello, my readers and fans. I regret, yet am proud, to announce that this chapter marks the beginning of the end. This is the last Book in the series. I've come so far, yet I don't want to begin to end it! I realize I have so much more to write- but in comparison to all I've written, it's not so much after-all. I want to thank each and every one of you for reading thus far, and I hope I can please each one of you in the chapters to come. Perhaps I'll start a new fanfiction after this one- who knows!

I'd like to give an extra special thanks to WritingSchizo101. She's been my most detailed reviewer, and has helped me to flourish into the writer I am, and are still growing into. She's just started a wonderful Last Airbender fanfiction of her own, and I suggest each of you run along and read that. It's worth it, I promise! Thank you for all of your reviews, you've been a great help!

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

**Day 1**

"We need a course of action. There's no telling when Aang will wake up! We can't just fly around on Appa waiting for Aang to get up and tell us what to do. That's like letting the Fire Nation walk right into villages without us so much as lifting a finger to defend them. We need to start planning out our invasion of the Fire Nation."

Only a single day had passed since Katara had healed Aang with the mystical water from the spirit oasis. Aang had barely stirred once the evening before, but had ceased to awaken since. He slept peacefully and quietly, exhaling every so often. They paid careful attention to his breathing patterns, for it helped reassure them that he was still with the living.

Ashlynn relieved herself of a large yawn. She was exhausted, and there was no doubting that her companions were too. They hadn't slept the evening before; instead, they flew Appa to the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. Once there, they kept a watchful eye on Aang. They had nearly let his life slip right through their fingers, and they weren't about to let that happen again.

"What exactly are you suggesting then, Sokka?" Ashlynn pondered aloud after she'd completed her yawn. "We can't possibly have the Earth King's support now. His city is under control of the Fire Nation. We're lacking troops."

The team had met up with the Earth King during midday. He had taken up hiding outside Ba Sing Se as well. He had swiftly explained to them that, since he could no longer rule over his own kingdom, he'd rather travel around the world with his bear.

"With all due respect, your Highness, but you'd stand out like a sore thumb," Ashlynn had said to him. Thus, he produced his newfound attire, and proceeded to tell them that he'd be traveling in disguise. He hadn't left them much choice, otherwise, nor was he of much use to the team now that he'd lost his city. So, they relieved him of his promised duties to them.

"Whatever the plan is, we need to think of it fast. The Fire Nation will no doubt be swarming through Ba Sing Se soon. We need to get out of here," Katara jumped in. She glanced over at Aang, who was lying peacefully several feet away. His chest rose with a single inhale, and Katara averted her gaze when she saw this.

Sokka perked up, suddenly. He stuck one finger up in the air as he announced triumphantly, "I've got an idea."

**Day 2**

"Look, there they are!" Sokka pointed downwards as Appa flew over the sandy shores of a lake. Ashlynn peered over Appa's saddle, and saw several southern water tribe ships anchored down below. Many tents were set up, and a whole fleet of men were walking about the campsite. One of the men jumped as he noticed Appa, and then, much to Ashlynn's surprise, began to cheer. The rest of the men looked up as he pointed the furry bison out to them, and they too began to cheer up at them.

Appa landed softly outside the campsite, and released a deafening roar that marked his entrance. Sokka was the first to leap from the beast, and he didn't glance back at them as he ran towards the group of people that were from his tribe. Toph was the second to leap from the bison, although she took a bit longer than Sokka had. Flying through the air on Appa made her queasy, and she was careful to not upset her stomach even further.

Katara began to lift Aang's limp body, but Ashlynn put her hand upon Katara's to stop her. "Go. Your father is waiting for you… I can take care of Aang," Ashlynn murmured to her. Katara bit her lip as she pondered Ashlynn's statement, and then nodded softly. She clambered down from Appa, though it appeared to be with reluctance. Ashlynn propped Aang up, and lifted him up as she stood up. She used her air-bending to create a light barrier between her arms and Aang's body. This made it so that he was not as heavy for her to carry.

She brought a current of air up from underneath her feet, and used it to leap off of Appa's saddle. A similar current acted as a pillow for her feet as she landed on the ground. Using this technique, she was able to maintain her balance when performing such acrobatics while carrying the Avatar.

When she approached the campsite, a few of the men came to take Aang from her. "We'll put him to rest in one of our finest beds," they reassured her. She felt cautious and reluctant. The men eyed her like she was the enemy, or some kind of monstrosity. It was obvious, then, to her that the scars upon her face either worried or scared people. Yet, she eventually allowed them to pry him from her fingers. She watched silently as Aang disappeared into a nearby tent. Her throat felt dry and her stomach was in knots. Sokka, Katara, and Toph had vanished and instantly become a part of the group. She was left to stand alone, watching as people attempt to inconspicuously get a good look at the wound upon her face.

Ashlynn finally summed up the courage to approach the one man who had his back turned to her. One of his arms was bandage, and the bonds wrapped tightly over his shoulder and across his chest as well. She tapped him on his 'good' shoulder and muttered, "Excuse me?"

The man spun about, and she was surprised to see that it was Bato. She'd only met him once before- back when their group separated because of a silly mistake Aang had made. She was almost glad to see that she knew at least one person. "Ashlynn," Bato said, and gave her a soft smile.

She couldn't help but grin up at him. Not once did he take a moment to glance at the wounds on her face. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he waited for her to say something. "Bato, it's wonderful to see you again! Though, I was hoping you'd be able to direct me to wherever Sokka and Katara might be," she explained. Bato nodded, and turned his gaze towards a nearby tent. He pointed two fingers at the largest tent in the area. Ashlynn nodded her thanks, and paced towards the tent.

Before she approached it, Sokka emerged from the doorway into the tent. "Ash! I was just coming to get you. Come on, I want you to meet my father!" Sokka grabbed Ashlynn's hand excitedly, and dragged her into the tent. Ashlynn was reminded slightly of how Zuko had done a similar thing when he'd wanted Ashlynn to see The Jasmine Dragon. It took every ounce of power within Ashlynn to keep herself from crying from anger and depression as she thought of Zuko.

"Dad, this is Ashlynn," Sokka exclaimed happily. He drew Ashlynn up beside him. Ashlynn stared up into the deep eyes of an older man that stood only a few feet away from them. Like Bato, he did not take a second to stare incredulously at her scarring. However, he did glance down at her hand. For a second, she did not understand why he had done this. That's when she noticed that Sokka had intertwined his fingers with hers, and was tightening his grip on her more and more with each passing second. She was reminded of Zuko once more.

"Ash, this is my dad- Hakoda," Sokka beamed.

Hakoda appeared to be every bit of Sokka and Katara's father. He had the same sapphire eyes, and the same brunette hair. Like Sokka, he kept his hair up, though it was only some. The rest of his hair flowed down past his face and hung lightly on his shoulders. A thick line of facial hair covered his chin. He had the same soft smile that Sokka had, and the same furrowed brows that Katara would get whenever she was frustrated, or contemplating.

Ashlynn decided that Sokka took more after Hakoda than Katara did. Hakoda's ears stuck out, and his face was more square than round- much like Sokka. She concluded that Katara must've taken after her mother. Ashlynn regretted with a heavy heart that she'd never have the honor of meeting the mother.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Ashlynn responded gently. She drew her hand away from Sokka's and held it out for Hakoda. He grasped it firmly, and shook her hand lightly before releasing the hold he had on her. She let her arm fall limply to her side, and not even Sokka made a move to touch her again. The stood rigid side-by-side as they waited for Hakoda to continue speaking.

"I'd love it if you all stayed with us, here. I'm most interested in hearing about this invasion plan of yours," Hakoda said sternly. He eyed Sokka as he said this.

So- Sokka and the team had already spoken to Hakoda about future plans. Ashlynn forced a grin to spread across her face before Hakoda turned away from them.

**Day 6**

"Hakoda! The scouts have just reported several Fire Nation ships down the coast. We need to leave immediately, or we're sure to be found."

Hakoda didn't say a word, but instead dismissed his fellow warrior. The man bowed respectfully, and departed from the tent. Ashlynn felt pride as Hakoda commanded this. He was a respectable man- one who wouldn't flee at the first sign of battle. It was likely that the Fire Nation ships would be easy ones to take down. Katara, however, didn't seem to have the same state of mind.

"You can't be serious! You're going to stand here and waste away what little of the fleet you have left? You're being swallowed by your own pride. I can't believe you'd sacrifice your own men this way. Why won't you just take them to a safer place? I'm sure they'd be happier," she spat with malcontent. She stood up, and before her father could respond she was well out of the tent.

Ashlynn had already begun to guess that Katara had something against her father. They were subtle hints, but hints nonetheless. She'd never actually _spoken_ to her father out of her own free will until now. She never looked him directly in the eye. She never smiled at him. Ashlynn's assumptions were proven correct in hearing what Katara had just dared to utter towards her own blood and family. What her motives were, however, she was unsure of.

"Katara misunderstands me- perhaps too often. I do not mean to stand and fight," Hakoda began to explain. However, Sokka swiftly interrupted him.

"Then what do you plan to do? You can't possibly consider fleeing! They're likely to be weak ships. Ash is an air-bender, Toph is an earth bender, and Katara can bend water! We could easily take them," Sokka argued. Ashlynn could see that Hakoda was growing tired of being interrupted. Clearly, fleeing and fighting were not options he'd considered.

"No, we're not fleeing. Instead, I say we commandeer one of their ships," he responded calmly and firmly. Toph's eyebrows rose up as she heard the words he'd said. Sokka's mouth opened slightly, but he shut it instantly. "If you want to invade the Fire Nation, then this is a perfect place to start. I'll send my fleet on their way after this last incursion, and I'll stay behind to help you guys figure out an invasion plan. The Fire Nation won't bother us if we're practically living in the same quarters as they."

For the first time in nearly a week, Ashlynn felt happiness stir within the depths of her heart. She couldn't help but grin broadly at Hakoda. The man was clever, and his mind seemed to work much faster than the average brain. He really was a seasoned version of his own son. What better idea could one person have possibly had in such a situation?

"When do strike?" Sokka questioned.

"Tomorrow- before dawn."

**Day 7**

It was still dark out when Hakoda woke Ashlynn. He merely nudged her, and then moved on to awaken the others who would journey with them. She rubbed her eyes and tried to adjust to the darkness. She rid herself of her blankets, and fumbled around in the darkness in search of her staff. Once she'd felt the wooden rod resting nearby, she stood up and departed from the tent.

Katara and Toph were already outside, although they appeared to still be waking up. Sokka was nowhere to be seen, and Hakoda was speaking with Bato. Katara approached Ashlynn and handed her a maroon-colored cloak. "Here- it'll conceal us well when we approach the ship. With any luck, they won't notice us until we're actually onboard." Ashlynn grabbed the cloak, and pinned it about her neck. It was light, but comfortable, and loose-fitting. She swayed back and forth slightly as she admired the way it rolled with the morning breeze.

A familiar yawn came from nearby, and Ashlynn averted her gaze to the side to see Sokka emerge from the nearest tent. "It's way too early to be doing this," he grumbled miserably. Ashlynn forced a half-smile at him, although she hardly felt the need to actually smile. What was there to be happy about? Aang hadn't even re-awoken, yet.

"Ready?" Hakoda whispered as he neared them. He was careful to keep his voice quiet, so as not to awake the men of his fleet. Only two other men were awake; Bato, who was helping with their seizing of the ship, and a man who was keeping a night watch. The group nodded at Hakoda, and tugged the hoods of their cloaks over their head. Ashlynn followed Sokka closely, and he followed Hakoda.

It was hard to make out what lay before them through the mass of darkness that stood before them. Yet, there was no denying the massive shapes of three Fire Nation ships that were anchored at the shore. Ashlynn occupied her time and mind by bending small bubbles of air beneath everyone's feet. Not only did it prevent tracks in the sand, but it prevented any sounds to be made from footsteps.

Hakoda decided it was best to take over the smallest ship. The crew would be smaller, and it would be harder for them to get the attention of the other ships. In addition, it was likely they wouldn't mind having to leave a smaller ship behind. So, they quietly darted over to the ship of his choice. Hakoda threw a rope up and over the rim of the ship. The metal hooks attached to the rope made a small clank as it collided with the other side and latched underneath the rim. Hakoda tugged on it for reassurance, and then pulled himself up and over the edge.

Katara decided it was best she go last. Only one guard stood watch, and he currently had his back turned. However, if he saw them, Katara would be the swiftest at dispatching him before he could call for help. She kept a whip of water drawn up by her side, preparing to knock the guard out if necessary.

Sokka grabbed Toph and tugged himself up the rope next. Ashlynn, not wishing to be seen, kept her glider closed, despite how much she desired to use it to get up onto the ship. Instead, she created springs of air beneath the soles of her feet, and propelled herself to the top. She looked down, and motioned for Katara and Bato to come up. Bato had Katara take the lead so that he could cover the rear.

"You kids cover the quarters of the ship. Do not let anyone call for help. Knock them out, or cover their mouths with a cloth. We're taking their uniforms, and their weapons. Tie them up, and bring them out here. Bato and I will take care of the watchman, along with the men down near the furnace and engines. Go!" Hakoda whispered to them. Then, they split up.

Ashlynn followed Sokka, Katara, and Toph down into the interior of the ship. She kept her staff out before her. If someone attacked, it would be easiest to strike them across the head and render them unconscious. Katara kept her whip out, and Sokka held his club out. He stopped at the entrance of a hallway, and glanced at Toph.

"There's a group of men playing a game in the second door on the left. There's no one in the first room, nor any in the third. The fourth has a man sleeping in the room in both the left and the right, and the door at the end of the hallway has another two people in it. I think it must be the captain's quarters," Toph muttered to Sokka.

"How many in this room up here?" Sokka questioned.

"Six. One for each room that doesn't have a man asleep in it…" Toph sighed, wishing Sokka would've caught onto that simple fact. He nodded, and began to think of ways they could go about this.

Six men were a lot to take on for a team of four. How could they prevent them from calling out for help from the men further down the hallway? If they called them in, then they'd surely be ten on four. More or less, they'd be outmatched and outnumbered. "How should we go about this?" Ashlynn whispered.

"Let's go from the end of this hall and up. Take out the captain first, and then the other men that are asleep. We'll take out the group here last," Sokka quickly devised. They nodded, and silently paced down the metal hall. Ashlynn continued to keep the air pads beneath their feet to help them remain silent.

When they reached the door at the end of the hall, Sokka prepared to open the door. "Wait!" Toph hissed. She put a hand on Sokka's arm and motioned for him to wait.

"What is it?" he murmured under his breath. Toph pressed her ear to the door, and frowned as she pulled away. Curious, Sokka pressed his ear to the door as well and listened intently. After a few moments he pulled away with a large frown upon his face. "Don't tell me…" he muttered, and all Toph did was nod. "Aw, come on! That's disgusting," he groaned.

"What?" Katara spat, growing impatient.

"It's a man and a woman in there," he explained quietly.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Ashlynn murmured as she realized what was going on. If they busted in on two people caught in the throes of love, it was likely the woman would scream. They were awake, and there was no getting around the fact that the woman's scream alone could awaken the crew members of the other ships.

"New plan… Let them finish… That… While we take out the men in these two rooms here," Sokka explained, and motioned towards the nearest doorways on their left and right. "Katara and Toph get the left- Ash and I will get the right," he whispered. Katara nodded, and they paced over to the left.

Sokka motioned at the door that lay before them. Without saying anything, he was able to tell Ashlynn that she should open the door so that he would be the one to beat the soldier over the head. Ashlynn nodded in understanding, and she inhaled deeply. Trying to remain as silent as possible, she cracked open the door. Sokka tip-toed through when it was open enough for him to squeeze into, and crept over to the mans bed. The man stirred, but was unconscious once more before he had the time to react.

Ashlynn tore a line of cloth from the sheets on the bed and used it to gag the soldier in case he woke up. Sokka patted the soldier down to make sure he had no weapons concealed. Ashlynn pointed out his suit of armor piled into a corner. The man was a slob, she noticed. Clothes were strewn about the dimly lit room. A plate with half a slice of bread sat on the floor with an empty mug of what used to be ale next to it.

"Let's take this man up top," Sokka said. Ashlynn looked down at the soldier and saw that Sokka had already bound his hands and feet. She nodded, and helped him carry the man out of the room. Katara and Toph were dragging the man from the other room, too. Together, the four of them brought the two men they'd captured outside.

"That's all you've managed so far?" Hakoda and Bato questioned as they dragged two men across the top of the ship. They laid the men beside three other men that they'd dispatched.

"Well, I'm _sorry_ dad, but we were temporarily distracted by the fact that there's a couple 'getting it on' in one of the rooms, and that another room is occupied by _six_ men. This is all we were able to get," Katara hissed angrily at her father. Hakoda sighed, by kept his cool as he pondered how to take care of their problem.

"Women don't usually travel at sea with the men…" Hakoda began to say.

"Aside Ashlynn!" Sokka piped up as he recalled that he'd originally met Ashlynn because she was sailing with Zuko and Iroh.

"…Right. Aside Ashlynn. What I'm trying to say is, she's probably a prisoner of theirs. Someone they captured from the earth kingdom refugees that the captain is using for himself. If we go about this the right way, she won't be alarmed. We'd be rescuing her," he explained.

"Have the four of them take out the room of six. Let us handle the captain," Bato suggested. Hakoda nodded in agreement.

"I was going to suggest that. We've dispatched many soldiers. Bato and I can dress up as men from the crew, and simply interrupt the captain. Alright, you kids get a head start. We'll go put on the uniforms," Hakoda said.

The four turned without a word of complaint or disagreement.

"Let's just have Ash open the door and let Katara and I knock out the soldiers. She can cover their mouths while I take 'em on," Sokka explained. Toph frowned, unsure of what she should do, but she didn't complain.

Ashlynn approached the door, and waited for Sokka to signal for her to open the door. Katara nodded that she was ready, and Sokka nodded at Ashlynn. Ashlynn breathed inward, and busted the door open. It was loud, and caused the men to jump up in surprise.

They were crowded around a small table, each with cards in their hands. They didn't say anything as the group swiftly moved into the room. Katara used water to cover the mouth of one man, though he hardly struggled. Much to her surprise, as well as everyone else's, the men began to laugh hysterically.

"This is too much! How much did you put in our drinks Hayato?" one man roared as he peered down into his own mug, as if he expected to find more alcohol. He let his cards slip from his other hand, and laughed as he watched them spread across the floor. "Oops! I guess now you all know what hand I have," he howled even louder. The men around them burst into more laughter.

Ashlynn shut the door behind her, not wishing their laughter to reach down into the captain's quarters and disturb him. "These men are more than drunk," Ashlynn told Sokka. Currently, Sokka was pacing over to the nearest man with his club held high. He had the means of knocking the man out, and the man didn't appear to notice.

Toph, finding it hysterical, sat down on the nearby bed and laughed with the men. They didn't so much as glance as her, which made it all the more funny for her. Katara approached the man that she had within the grasp of her water. Soon, he would pass out from lack of oxygen. The other drunken men still didn't seem to think they were in reality.

Sokka finally summed up the courage to strike a man across the back of his head. His eyes rolled back into his skull, and he fell into the lap of another soldier as unconsciousness took over him. His partner cackled as he slurred, "Good Gods, th' mans drunk himself stiff!" His fellow soldiers followed him with laughter.

"Tell me, is there a little lady beside us?" one man asked, and shot a thumb behind him in Ashlynn's direction.

"I sure hope so, Taro, cause I see her!" another man chortled. Taro, who appeared to be the youngest of the group, turned towards Ashlynn.

Ashlynn held her staff out defensively. Sokka leapt behind another man and struck him down. The other two men seemed to finally be noticing something wasn't right, but their minds couldn't exactly comprehend how to prevent it. Taro was fixated on Ashlynn, however, and was oblivious to all else. "Put that rod away missy. Sit, and have a drink or two!" he laughed heartily as he motioned back at the other men. They chuckled in response as they tried to listen to both him and ward Sokka and Katara off at the same time.

Ashlynn was frozen as she watched the young man Taro stand up and stumble towards her. "I said put that away," he grumbled. Ashlynn swung her staff, but the man caught it within one hand. He gripped it tightly, and tugged it clear from her hand. He tossed it to the side and closed in on Ashlynn, who continued to back up until she was pressed up against the cold, metal wall.

Taro tripped over his own feet and fell forward. He stopped himself from collapsing upon Ashlynn by putting his arms out and catching himself on the wall that Ashlynn was pressed up against. Now, he was too close for comfort. Ashlynn's nose curled in disgust as her nose was filled with the smell of ale and rancid meat. If the man weren't such a pig, perhaps he might've seemed attractive. His muscles were well toned, and his eyes were a vibrant color.

"Come on miss, won't you keep a man's bed warm?" he garbled as he ran one clumsy hand down Ashlynn's midsection to her waist. Suddenly, as she had feared, he fell upon her and crashed his lips onto hers. She tried to cry out for Sokka or Katara, but he took the opportunity and attempted to shove his tongue into her mouth. She shoved him back off of her and spat in his face. The soldier was shocked, and without thinking he backhanded her.

Suddenly, the soldier Taro went stiff. His eyelids shut, and he became limp a moment later. He collided with the ground, unconscious, and Ashlynn looked up at Sokka, who was standing over the limp body with his club raised high. "Sokka, I-" Ashlynn tried to say, but Sokka ignored her for the moment. Instead, he brought his club down on Taro's head once more. Then again, and then a third time before Katara finally forced his club away from him.

Sokka looked up at Ashlynn, and she gulped as she saw the fierce anger that flashed through his eyes. She'd never seen him so angry before. Even his eyebrows and lips seemed to twitch and quiver. His hands were balled into fists, and he nearly punched Taro once more with his bare fists, except that Katara and Toph and begun to pile him with the other unconscious soldiers.

Ashlynn shut her mouth as she glanced up at Sokka. Without saying a word, Sokka grabbed her arms and pulled her into him. She felt the side of her face land softly on Sokka's chest as he wrapped his arms around her back. She could hear his heart beating rapidly with adrenaline, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. She couldn't be sure what exactly was flowing through his mind, nor how to make it better, but that didn't stop her from hugging him back.

They stayed in their silent embrace until Hakoda came to get them.

**Day 11**

Disguised as Fire Nation Soldiers, Bato and Hakoda told the other two ships that their ship's machinery was malfunctioning, and needed some time to repair it. The ship's granted them permission to stay anchored on the shore for one week, and then they'd send someone to bring them back to the Fire Nation fleet. So, their time on the shore was limited.

They moved what was necessary onto the ship, and they spent their time cleaning it up to their liking while still maintaining its appearance as a fire navy ship. Aang was given the captain's quarters, for it was the largest and had the most decent bed. Most of the team could cram into the room if they wished, though they never did. They took turns checking in on Aang, to see if he'd awoken, and to make sure he was still part of the realm of the living.

There was a large grate meant to hold supplies built into the interior of the ship. During the day, Appa was near forced to stay in the holding cell in case ships passed by. If another fire navy ship spotted Appa they'd be discovered for sure. Momo spent most of his time keeping Appa company. Sometimes, however, he'd lay by Aang's side.

The soldiers they'd dispatched of were allowed to go free, if they gave their word that they would let them commandeer their ship. The men agreed instantly, although Taro was the only one to protest. Ashlynn wondered if perhaps he recalled the other early morning, but she never found out. Hakoda, knowing that he couldn't trust their word, left them stranded in the middle of nowhere, miles away from Ba Sing Se. That way, at least, they'd get a head start in fleeing the area.

It also turned out that Hakoda had been right about the woman- she had been stolen out of the group of refugees in Ba Sing Se, to be used entirely for pleasure. She had been grateful towards the team, and offered them all the food and money she had in return. Hakoda, being the respectable man that he was, refused to accept anything from the woman. He set the woman free in the nearest village, and didn't look back on it.

Afterwards, they set sail. Hakoda decided it would be best if they travelled west for the time being. The further they were away from the Fire Nation, the safer they'd be. A few of Hakoda's fleet chose to come with them, while the rest departed in their water tribe boats.

Katara hadn't changed much- she was still bitter towards her dad, and refused to strike a conversation with him. She continued to keep her eyes away from her father's, and it frustrated him now more than ever. Sokka appeared to have forgotten about Taro over the last several days, and his mood improved significantly. He spent many hours of the day pondering ideas for invading the Fire Nation. Mostly, he kept to himself as he did this. Hakoda, however, knew someone had to take the initiative.

"Look, I know we're all not in our highest spirits, but we're here to figure out what to do about an invasion on the Fire Nation. We may not have the support we need from the Earth Kingdom now, but surely you guys have many allies around the world," Hakoda stated firmly. Katara listened, but kept her arms crossed as she looked away from him. Sokka seemed distant as he thought about what his father was saying.

"What are you suggesting?" Ashlynn questioned so that he'd elaborate further.

"I'm saying we travel around and see if we can't get some of your friends to join us, and do a smaller invasion," Hakoda explained. Sokka, then, perked up as he heard this. He joined his father's side, and together they sat down to plan out which of their friends might join them.

**Day 14**

Ashlynn awoke to the creaks and groans of the ship. The distant sound of moving water could be heard, too. The bed beneath her was hard and cold, with nothing but a small mattress beneath her and a few blankets piled on top of her. Having travelled so much, she'd grown used to sleeping on all the worst things, and yet nothing was as bad as the bed she was in now.

She wondered how she'd managed to live so long on a ship with Zuko previously. Those times were so distant now, though, for they had occurred so long ago. She felt a tear stream down her face as she thought of Zuko. She cursed silently to herself to vent some of her anger. The thought of Zuko only brought her pain and anger, now. She brought a hand up to the scars on her face, and traced the rough skin with her fingers. She cried harder as she realized she'd never be rid of that mark- just like Zuko.

_How could I be like Zuko, even in this small way? I wish I were rid of this scar, and that he'd stop plaguing my mind. _

Feeling overly restless and distress, she finally pulled herself out of bed. She grabbed her smallest blanket and wrapped it about herself. Then, she exited her room and walked down the hallway. She climbed up the stairs to the outside, and was greeted by the hundreds of stars that dotted the nighttime skies.

A cool breeze rustled by her and tousled her hair slightly. She smoothed her hair out as she walked to the rim of the ship. She peered over into the cool waters below her, and for the first time she began to contemplate what it would be like to drown in those waters. Her mind had never been so dark before, and now it scared her more than ever. Yet, at the same time, the thoughts were almost comforting and satisfying.

Ashlynn felt the presence of another person nearby. She spun around quickly, and released a quiet laugh as she realized it was just Sokka. "Sokka," she acknowledged tenderly as he walked to stand by her side. She turned back around to stare down at the dark waters once more.

"Cold?" he asked, and grasped one end of the blanket that was wrapped around Ashlynn. She smiled lightly, and nodded in response. Sokka swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. The silence between them was more than awkward, especially given the fact that they hadn't conversed much over the past couple of days.

"Can't sleep?" Ashlynn questioned, and looked over at Sokka for a moment.

"I heard a door open," he chuckled slightly. Ashlynn couldn't help but laugh as well. She apologized to him, and continued to laugh awkwardly. Sokka never failed to drop his smile as he leaned over the rim of the boat and gazed up at the stars and the moon. Ashlynn wondered if he thought of Yue.

"Don't worry about it," Sokka said flatly after several minutes of silence.

"Hmm?" Ashlynn responded faintly as she began to drift off into the realm of sleep deprivation. She didn't feel as though she was entirely there, but Sokka had enough of her attention for her to wonder what he was speaking about now.

"For waking me up. Don't worry about it. Besides, I like spending time with you," Sokka finished awkwardly, but continued to look away from Ashlynn.

She sighed absent-mindedly, and without pondering her upcoming actions beforehand, she stepped towards Sokka and wrapped her arms about his waist. She felt his body go rigid as she buried her face into his chest. He didn't react, and Ashlynn began to wonder if he was simply shy. He had always seemed warm and inviting to Ashlynn- like he wanted to be close to her. His lack of response, however, didn't scare her off.

Finally, much to her relief, Sokka wrapped his arms about her too. She stood motionless, listening to and feeling his heart beat faster with each passing second. She frowned, and pulled away from him, wondering what would cause his heart to beat at such a pace. It was dark, but with the soft fluorescent light of the moon she was able to make out the lines and shapes of his face. She felt complete comfort as she gazed into his distant eyes, and wondered if the feeling was mutual.

Sokka bit his lip, looked away from Ashlynn, and in one swift motion he grasped the back of her head with one hand and pulled her face to his. Their lips locked, and it hardly bothered Ashlynn. She let her blanket slip off her shoulders as she reached up to wrap her arms around Sokka's neck while their kiss deepened.

Now, she did not think of Zuko.

**Day 20**

Aang's wounds had begun to heal, and it gave the members of their small crew hope. Sokka was convinced that Aang would be their best weapon, and best shot at taking control over the Fire Nation- more so than he had been before. The news of Aang's 'death' had no doubt spread to all corners of the world. This particular misconception gave them the element of surprise. No one would expect to see Aang at the head of the invasion on the Day of Black Sun.

Yet, Aang had yet to awaken. Katara began to wonder if his comatose state was permanent. Ashlynn would tell her to remain hopeful, but even her faith in such fantasies had begun to falter. Yet, there was a light in the darkness- The team had managed to run into Pipsqueak and The Duke, two lone members of the Freedom Fighters, while they had gone into a town to replenish some supplies.

Sokka had gone with his father and Bato, dressed as Fire Nation soldiers, so the two remaining members of the group didn't recognize them. Sokka, however, could spot them from a mile away. Pipsqueak was one of the largest men Ashlynn had ever laid eyes on, while The Duke was one of the smallest. The two stuck out like a sore thumb. Thus, Sokka revealed himself, and the invasion plan, to them. Without hesitation, they signed up.

Their plans were nearly a solid one, but it would all be for nothing if Aang didn't awake before the invasion. He still had much training to get through if he wanted to face the Fire Lord. "We can't just charge in there without him. You think we could take on the Fire Lord on our own, especially when we've lost some of the little we've got when we invade the city?" Ashlynn had stated sternly as she argued with Hakoda and Bato about the invasion plan. They fought that it was worth a try- after all, when would such an opportunity arise again? Certainly not for some time.

Sokka remained on both their sides. Ashlynn couldn't tell whose side he was really on, and whose side he chose just so they wouldn't be angry with him. It seemed likely that he honestly agreed with his father, but feared that Ashlynn wouldn't talk to him if he didn't side with her.

Yet, they continued to sneak out in the evenings. Sometimes they'd play a game together; while others they'd huddle closely and keep one another warm while gazing out at the shimmering stars. On occasion, they'd curl up by Appa together and take in the warmth his soft fur and tender body provided.. Ashlynn never mentioned Zuko, and Sokka never mentioned Yue. It was almost perfect- too perfect, in Ashlynn's mind. It almost didn't feel right. Yet, she never said a word.

One night Hakoda was unable to sleep, and caught them lying out underneath the night sky together. Since then, the relationship between him and his son had grown awkward. Meanwhile, any connection he and Ashlynn may have had previously had vanished.

The team was almost discovered during the middle of the week when another Fire Nation ship sailed by them. Hakoda and Bato were sporting their water tribe outfits, just as Sokka and Katara did. They were forced to retreat to their rooms and suit up their armor before the captain of the other ship requested an audience with them. Sokka, Katara, Ashlynn, Toph, Pipsqueak and The Duke hid in the confinements of the bottom of the ship as the adults answered the questions that the other ship had to ask. Despite the fact that Appa was already nestled in the holding cell of the ship, they were forced to throw tarps over him to completely conceal his appearance.

The team had grown careless, and had forgotten what dangers could befall them as they sailed over the seas. When the Fire Nation ships had left, Hakoda decided it was best to be more cautious. The women were told to keep their maroon capes hung about their necks. They could swiftly conceal their clothes with it in case of emergencies. Sokka, Hakoda, Bato, and Pipsqueak donned the soldier uniforms that were in the ship, while The Duke wore cloth that he'd stolen directly from a member of the Fire Nation.

"I wish you guys could at least take off that helmet," Ashlynn told Sokka late one evening. The helmet covered all of Sokka's face, concealing any expressions he'd make. His head turned, and Ashlynn guessed he was frowning.

"I can't, Ash. If someone from the Fire Nation sees that I'm not pale-skinned and golden eyed like they are, they might guess I'm not _from_ their nation!" he stated. His voice was muffled, and sounded hollow from within the helmet. Ashlynn sighed, but before she could respond she was interrupted by The Duke.

"You guys, come quick! Aang's awake!" he squealed excitedly. He was running as fast as he could up the stairs that led to the interior of the ship. Katara was the first at The Duke's side, wondering how he knew Aang was awake.

Katara gasped as Aang stumbled into view as he rose from the interior of the ship. He seemed dazed, worried, and confused. In addition, he hadn't taken the opportunity to see that he was surrounded by his friends. He was leaning on his glider, and was staring aimlessly at the floor. After a moment, he fell flat on the floor.

Momo bounded over to him and sat before his head and began to chatter. Aang looked up at Momo quizzically. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he questioned aloud, "Momo?"

"Aang!" Katara and Ashlynn exclaimed excitedly, and grinned broadly as they approached Aang.

He looked up at the two of them and beamed happily.

Finally, he had awoken.


	36. Book 3 Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello my darling readers, I've missed you all terribly. In advance, I'd like to thank any of my original readers who have waited the past few months for this chapter. For those of you who did not read my brief note previously, my computer more or less blew up and I hadn't had the time or money to get it fixed. Now, however, it's all back to normal so I can start writing again. Bear with me, for I haven't written in months so I'm going to be rusty until I get back into the swing of things. But, regardless, I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

_Water, earth, fire, air… Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air-bender named Aang, was discovered. Now travelling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, the blind earth-bender Toph, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the Fire Nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion…_

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* * *

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_I won't be held down by who I used to be._

_She's nothing like me. _– **Evanescence.**

**Weight of the World**

Aang handled the appearance of Ashlynn and Katara well. They each held out a hand for him, and pulled him back up to his feet. He showed every sign of being drowsy: his eyes were bloodshot, and there were bags under them, his face was gaunt and his body was weak. Katara kept a hand on his shoulder so she could catch him if he were to fall again. He knealt against his staff, and tried to make heads and tails of what was going on.

Toph was the third person to charge at him. She happily swung her light and pale arms about his waist, and mumbled words of relief and joy. Aang gently put an arm around her in return, and opened his mouth to question what was going on. However, Sokka interrupted him.

"Aang, good to see you buddy!" Sokka exclaimed from behind a Fire Nation soldier's helmet. It muffled and concealed his voice, just barely keeping his voice recognizable to those who spoke to him often. Sokka hugged Aang, too, and then backed up a few inches to get a good look at him.

Aang rubbed his eyes to try and clear his vision as he muttered, "Sokka?"

Sokka nodded his head, and despite that his face was concealed it was obvious he was grinning behind the masks metal.

"Somebody catch him, he's going to-" Toph cried out in warning. She was only a second too late, however, for Aang collapsed as she spoke. Katara was swift to break his fall, and she placed his head lightly into her lap. She brushed a hand through his fluffy brown hair a few times before placing her hand over his forehead to check for a fever. She looked up at her companions and shook her head to indicate he wasn't ill.

Appa wandered carefully over to Aang, taking extra care to not throw his weight about and tip the ship one way or the other. His massive pink tongue extended from his mouth, and saliva dripped on the floor as he brushed his tongue over Aang's face. When Aang didn't stir he exhaled roughly. The breath that left his nose came at a force strong enough to ruffle Aang's hair, causing him to finally come around.

"Sokka, get him a blanket," Ashlynn whispered as she watched Aang sit up and look around him. He rubbed his head in confusion, and frowned at Katara who had refused to leave Aang's side.

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship?" Aang asked after a moment of looking at his surroundings. It had become obvious to him, after seeing several people on board dressed in Fire Nation uniforms and gaining a better look at the ship that that's where he had ended up.

Sokka placed a woolen blanket around Aang's shoulders before returning to Ashlynn's side. As Aang posed more questions, the group that had formed around him began to disperse to leave Katara and Aang to talk privately.

As they trailed away, Sokka subtly grasped Ashlynn's hand and pulled her after him. She giggled softly as she followed him down into the interior of the ship. Despite how hard he was trying to keep silent, Ashlynn could still hear a small chuckle escape through the vents in his helmet. He tightened his hold on her hand as he quickly opened a door to one of the rooms on the ship and pulled Ashlynn inside. He poked his head out into the hallway to see if anyone had seen them vanish into the room. When he was satisfied, he closed the door behind him.

"Bit forward, don't you think?" Ashlynn joked lightly when the door was closed. Sokka said something, though Ashlynn couldn't tell what it was due to his hefty helmet. "You look and sound ridiculous with that thing on," she sighed as she stepped toward him.

Sokka closed the gap between the two of them, and pressed his mid-section against hers as he wrapped his arms about her waist. Ashlynn reached up and pulled the helmet off of his head, revealing his deep blue eyes, light smile, and beads of sweat upon his tanned face. She threw the helmet to the side as he pressed his lips against hers. His fingers dug softly into the small of her back, and she responded by running her hands up through his matted hair.

Sokka backed her up against a wall, never failing to pull his face away from hers. Yet, after a minute they were forced apart as the door creaked and swung open. Sokka casually stepped away from Ashlynn and began to pat down his hair as Katara and Aang stepped into the room.

"…Are we interrupting something?" Katara muttered, aggravated, as she paced over to the table in the room and pulled a wooden chair away from it. She motioned for Aang to sit down, and so he did.

"No, not at all! Of course not!" Sokka responded nervously. He whistled a small tune as he put his helmet back on and slipped out of the room as discreetly as he could.

Katara glanced at Ashlynn several times as she filled a small bowl with some water. Aang looked as though he wanted to question what he'd walked in on, but remained silent as he removed his bandages.

"I'll just be going, then," Ashlynn said as she felt her face become hot and begin to turn red with embarrassment. She departed the room as swiftly as she could, and smacked a palm against her forehead as she heard Aang ask, "Is there something going on between the two of them?" She hastily sidestepped into the nearest room, and hid under the covers, hoping her two friends would forget they ever saw anything.

After dwelling on the embarrassment, Ashlynn's mind slowly wavered over to Zuko. She was struck with a sense of guilt, which in turn caused her anger. _How could I possibly feel guilty after all he's done to us?_ She groaned loudly and buried her face into the nearest pillow, and drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

The following day Sokka explained to Aang what he'd missed out on over the weeks he'd been asleep for. The companions sat around a small campfire and consumed bowls of steamed rice as they listened to his story, and watched Aang's reactions. Ashlynn sat away from Sokka, and avoided making eye contact with Katara. Yet, it appeared that everyone, Sokka included, had either forgotten or chosen to ignore what had occurred the evening before.

"What now?" Aang asked when Sokka had finished his story. Aang set his ceramic bowl, which was now void of all rice, to the side. He ran a single hand over Momo as he looked back and forth at everyone, waiting for a response.

"We've been working on a modified version of our invasion plan," Hakoda responded knowledgably.

"It's Sokka's invasion plan, Dad. Sokka's," Katara reminded him warily. Her eyes narrowed as she averted her gaze, trying her best not to let her eyes come into contact with her father's.

Hakoda sighed and nodded in agreement as he replied, "Right. Sokka's." He coughed afterwards to cover up the awkward tension that now clung to the air. "We won't be able to round up a large army, but the solar eclipse is still going to leave the Fire Nation vulnerable. So, as Sokka suggested, we're planning a smaller invasion," he finished, and motioned towards Sokka to continue.

"It's just going to be a small team of the friends and allies we have around the Earth Kingdom. As you've seen, we've already come across Pipsqueak and The Duke," Sokka said and motioned towards their newest team members. They waved at Aang, and then went back to finishing up their rice bowls. "Best part is, the solar eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage. We have a secret… You," Sokka paused and then whispered in a failed attempt to be suspenseful.

Ashlynn shook her head and chuckled, wondering how she ever got mixed up with him. Hakoda glared at her, and she instantly dropped her smile. _Perhaps I'm just paranoid. His family can't hate me _that _much. _

"Me?" Aang asked, baffled.

"Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead!" Sokka shouted excitedly. He'd made it obvious many times that Aang's false death was the key to their success in invading the Fire Nation. Ashlynn had tried to tell him several times that it'd be best to play on the safe side and assume someone might find out he was alive, but Sokka's pride and excitement clouded his judgment and rendered him ignorant. So, Ashlynn had given up trying to make him think otherwise.

Aang's face slowly began to contort into an expression of shock and disbelief, much unlike Sokka's. Without saying a word, Aang slowly paced over to the edge of the ship. For a moment, it looked as though he were going to be sick. He gripped the iron rim of the ship for a few minutes before spinning around to face his companions. Shock was still written across his face, but now he was also furious. "Dead? They think I'm _dead_?" he stammered.

"Yeah!" Sokka exclaimed, "It's great! It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore!" He paced across the ship to comfort and reassure Aang as he spoke. "What's even better is now they won't be expecting you during the evasion. It'll come off as a huge surprise," he said, and placed a hand upon Aang's shoulder.

Aang shied away from Sokka and lowered his head. Clearly, Sokka's optimistic words had had little effect on Aang. "This is so messed up!" Aang cried aloud as buried his face in his palms to keep from reacting irrationally. He opened his mouth to retort some more, but was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a deep horn. Ashlynn turned her head towards the noise, just as everyone else did, and was not surprised to see another Fire Nation ship headed in their direction. They'd encountered several ships before – it was just a matter of whether they'd stop to interrogate them or not.

"I'll handle this," Aang muttered as he opened up his glider. He flinched and groaned as he pulled at his muscles in an attempt to prepare himself to glide over to the other ship.

"Aang, wait, don't!" Katara pleaded hastily.

"Aang, they don't know we're not Fire Nation," Ashlynn reminded him. Aang paused for a moment to stare at Ashlynn and Katara. "It's better if we play it off like we are Fire Nation. Don't worry, we've done this before. It hasn't been a problem," she reassured him. Aang sighed heavily, and closed up his glider reluctantly.

Bato and Hakoda placed their Fire Nation helmets over their heads and prepared to speak to the men on the other ship. "Stay calm and get into position. Bato and I can handle this," Hakoda assured the group.

Ashlynn scooped Momo up into her arms and whistled at Appa to follow her. She walked down the stairs into the brig that sat in the middle of their ship, and Appa happily followed her. He knelt down so that his body didn't protrude from the top of the brig, and Momo curled up beside him. Once the two were comfortable, Ashlynn ran upstairs and watched as The Duke and Pipsqueak tossed a large, woolen blanket over Appa in an attempt to conceal him from the other ship.

Sokka grabbed Ashlynn's hand and pulled her into another hollowed-out portion of the ship where Katara, Toph, and Aang were hiding. Sokka pulled Ashlynn against him and kissed her forehead as they waited patiently for something to happen. Aang shifted his weight away from them, as though he'd suddenly become uncomfortable being in their presence. "I hate not doing anything," he whispered to Katara.

"If we're lucky it'll stay that way," she hissed back at him. Aang released a disgruntled sound, and listened to the conversation happening between Hakoda and Bato and the other men.

"Commander, why are you off course? All western fleets are supposed to be headed towards Ba Sing Se," came the voice of the commander opposite their ship. His voice was smooth – not too deep and not too high.

"We're from the eastern fleet. We have orders to deliver cargo," Hakoda responded fluidly, convincingly.

Ashlynn inhaled slowly and quietly, trying her best to remain as silent as she could. Aang nudged her slightly as he shifted sides once again to get a better look at the other commander. Ashlynn ignored him, and tried her best not to make any sounds that the other side might be able to hear.

"Eastern fleet… I see. How nice of Admiral Chan to let me know," the man responded sarcastically.

"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect," Bato replied sympathetically. His voice was calm and collective, like Hakoda's.

"I just don't see how it's so hard to send me a simple letter to give me some sort of notice of when these things happen. How hard is it to send a single hawk?" the commander complained.

"Next time we'll send two hawks, just to be sure you do get the message," Hakoda replied. Ashlynn twisted her neck around for a moment to watch as Hakoda and Bato bowed respectfully towards the commander. Her panicked heart rate began to slow as relief of safety began to seep back into the fibers of her body. She rested her head against Sokka's chest and waited patiently for Hakoda to tell them the coast was clear.

A few seconds passed before Toph suddenly stood up and shouted, "They know!" The ship rocked as she thrust her fist into the metallic ground and sent a wave of metal after the commander and his body guards. The bridge they were rocking across cracked beneath them, and sent them falling into the ocean's cold waters.

As Toph exited the nook in the ship Katara stood up too. She began to raise a wave of the ocean water as she ran towards the edge of the ship. She used its currents to create a force of water strong enough to thrust the ship away from their own. During the time that there was a gap between the two ships, Sokka and Ashlynn swiftly ushered Aang into a safer spot where he wouldn't be seen. They forced him into the nearest hallway, but stayed at the doorway so that they could assist their companions if it was necessary.

The ship continuously rocked back and forth, like an earth quake, as rocks from the opposing side began to strike its exterior. Toph was shouting commands to Pipsqueak and The Duke, Katara was releasing war cries every so often, and there was a consistent sound of metal hitting metal. At one point Aang made an attempt to run out and help, but Sokka stopped him. Ashlynn grew slightly irritated with Sokka when he did the same thing to her. Aang was being kept hidden so that word of his reappearance wouldn't get out, but why keep her there?

"I'm going to give us some cover!" Katara shouted over the other sounds. After a moment a thick fog surrounded their ship. Ashlynn grasped her staff firmly in one hand and, ignoring Sokka's protests, ran outside to help. At least, then, the other side wouldn't see that their team had the advantage of having another person to help.

Ashlynn heard a rock coming towards the ship, and soon she could see it through the fog. Before it struck Bato and Hakoda, who were helping Toph by giving her signals of where to throw her own rocks, Ashlynn sent a thick protective bubble of air about them. The two men flinched as they realized the rock was headed straight at them, but relaxed as it bounced off of Ashlynn's shield. Hakoda shot her a nod of gratitude, and continued to help Toph.

Suddenly, a large boulder plunged into the center of the ship, causing many of its members to topple over. Ashlynn lost her balance and dropped her staff as she landed safely on her palms. Her staff rolled away from her and disappeared in the mist. Ashlynn groaned as she crawled after it, ignoring the scrapes on her palms that were faint patches of blood about the floor of the ship.

Ashlynn crawled in a straight line until she reached the rim of the ship. There, she found that a massive hole had been blown right through the edge. She cursed to herself as she peered outward at the sea, remaining careful not to fall into the depths of the ocean. However, the surrounding fog rendered her vision past a foot in front of her useless. She scowled as she stood up and crawled away from the dangerous edge. For all she knew her staff could be lost for all time, now.

Ashlynn frowned as she saw Sokka amidst the fights as well. If he was there, then where was Aang?

"How we doin'?" Toph queried. She emitted a cry to follow as she cast a flaming boulder that had struck their ship out into the ocean water. She brushed her hands free of the remaining dirt and turned to face Sokka.

"Well, they're not as bad as they could be," Sokka replied triumphantly. He grinned as he looked around, attempting to remain an optimist. Yet, his attempt failed as a giant serpent unexpectedly rose from the sea, causing the ships to tip slightly. Ashlynn collapsed once more and felt herself begin to slide to one end of the ship.

"We're not in the Serpent's Pass, are we?" Aang cried out from the nearest hallway. Sokka chuckled and rubbed his head sheepishly before he turned back to gaze up at the sea monster. Sokka cried out in terror as the serpent raised its head high and prepared to spit a jet of steaming water directly onto their ship. However, it screeched and reared its head about as it got struck by a flaming boulder from the other ship. It dove back into the ocean water and disappeared.

The ship slowly tilted back to a neutral balance, and Sokka ran over to Ashlynn. He grasped her arm and helped her up. She thanked him, and together they ran to the rim of the boat to see if the sea serpent would exact its revenge upon the Fire Nation.

Sure enough, the serpent began to coil its body about the other ship. Its muscles tightened, and the Fire Nation ship cracked beneath its weight and strength. Slowly, it began to drag the enemy ship into the depths of the ocean.

Ashlynn, Sokka, and the rest of the crew cheered valiantly as they floated away from the enemy ship. The damage dealt had been great, but no one was injured. Despite the loss of Ashlynn's beloved staff, it was a noble victory.

* * *

The following day, Hakoda decided to dock the boat outside a small village. That way, they could get the materials necessary to repair the ship. In addition, they could re-stock their food supply and get any other odds-and-ends they were missing. Katara put together a small group to go and gather the food and buy dinner specifically that day.

"Aang, we're going out to get food. It might be a good idea to get some fresh air… You want to go?" Katara asked as she entered Aang's room. Sokka, Toph, and Ashlynn followed her in. Aang glanced up at them, and forced a small smile to show for them.

"I am pretty hungry," he responded. His stomach rumbled loudly, and he placed a hand over his pale stomach. He frowned and patted his stomach lightly, as if he were telling it to be quiet.

Sokka stepped forward with a small red scarf in hand. He presented it to Aang and instructed, "Here, tie this around your head. It'll cover up your arrow so no one will recognize you."

Aang's eyebrows furrowed and he turned away from Sokka instantly. "No way. I'm not going out in public if I can't wear my arrow proudly. I refuse to cover it up, that's so degrading," he spat as he crossed his arms in means of shutting off those around him.

"Aang, come on," Sokka retorted. He sighed as he stuffed the scarf back into the pockets of his cloak.

"Why don't you guys go on without us? We can catch up later," Katara suggested. Ashlynn exchanged glances with Toph, and they both nodded in agreement. Sokka grunted with frustration, and turned around to leave with Ashlynn and Toph. They shut the door silently behind them, and left Katara to speak alone with Aang.

"Should we just go and get food like she said, or wait for them?" Ashlynn questioned. She leaned against the cold metal wall of the hallway she and her companions stood in. Toph shrugged at her, so she stared up at Sokka as she waited for a response.

"Let's just wait for them. I'm sure it won't be long," he responded after a moment. Ashlynn nodded in agreement. Toph exhaled and sent strands of her bangs flying upwards, expressing her impatience and disagreement on the matter. Ashlynn and Sokka both chose to ignore her. After all, it wouldn't be the same without Katara and Aang by their side.

After several minutes Katara stormed out of the room without Aang. She slammed the metal door behind her, and walked past Ashlynn, Sokka, and Toph without saying a word. Ashlynn, Sokka, and Toph exchanged looks of worry before following after her. Sokka grasped Ashlynn's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers, and remained silent as they trailed after Katara into the village. Toph stayed behind the group and said nothing as well.

* * *

"I'll bring Aang his dinner. Why don't you guys go put the rest of our provisions away," Katara said solemnly as the group boarded the ship once more. Ashlynn nodded at her, and exchanged the dinner they'd brought back for Aang with the bags of food for the whole crew with Katara. Without another word Katara took off towards Aang's room. Ashlynn handed Sokka a few of the bags, and together they took the food down into the ships kitchen, leaving Toph behind to do as she pleased.

"I hope Aang will be okay and lighten up," Ashlynn sighed as she put food into the small, wooden cabinets of the kitchen. Sokka opened up the miniature freezer and placed the few bits of meat they'd gathered inside. Ashlynn yawned, and motioned for Sokka to follow her. He grinned, and happily obliged. Together, they walked to an unoccupied room in mutual silence.

* * *

Ashlynn awoke to the familiar groan that Sokka made whenever someone woke him up amidst a deep slumber. Ashlynn opened her eyes and could barely make out a small light in the middle of the group. She blinked a few times as she tried to adjust to the darkness. Once her vision cleared, she recognized Katara standing in their room. "What's going on?" Ashlynn queried sleepily, and emitted a yawn to follow.

"Aang left. We need to follow him. I talked things over with Dad… We're going to meet up with everyone on the day of the invasion. For now, we need to follow Aang and help keep him going. Can you guys please pack your things and meet me on deck?" Katara whispered. Sokka grunted in response. "Thank you," Katara replied matter-of-factly, and fled the room immediately.

"I'm going to kill them. Is it really this impossible for us to spend a single night alone?" Sokka groaned as he sat up.

"Well if Aang left we can't just abandon him. I'm not too happy he left either but… We need to stick by his side," Ashlynn retorted calmly. Sokka shrugged at her and said nothing. Ashlynn sighed and buried her face in one of the pillows on the bed. She felt Sokka clamber over her and climb out of the bed they'd been sharing. She turned her head to look at him, and could just barely make out his silhouette in the darkness. She blinked, and frowned as her perception of Sokka morphed into the outline of Zuko. Frustrated, hurt, and angry, Ashlynn buried her face back into the pillow as she fought the urge to scream.

"Alright, you take a few more minutes to rest. I'll gather our things," Sokka muttered, and left the room.

After a few moments Ashlynn sat up and stared into the empty darkness. She shivered and, despite that she wasn't all that cold, wrapped the blanket around her. She inhaled deeply, and gripped her fist with the opposite hand as she resisted the urge to punch the wall beside her. She got up from the bed, then, and ran after Sokka.

* * *

Sokka had their clothes and provisions packed within minutes, and together he and Ashlynn walked out on deck. Toph and Katara were already waiting for them, with all of their stuff placed securely on Appa's back. Momo swooped about them happily, eager to return to travelling instead of being restricted to the ship.

"I'm almost positive Aang went to the Fire Nation. It'd be best to scout for him along the nearest shoreline," Katara told them. Sokka nodded and climbed up onto Appa's back. Ashlynn shot bursts of air out from beneath her feet and propelled herself onto the bison's backside.

Once everyone and their belongings were secured, Katara commanded for Appa to head off in the direction of the Fire Nation. Ashlynn was struck with a sudden sense of fear, for she hadn't been to the Fire Nation in years. It was possible she'd be recognized, although that was the least of her worries. The very idea of running into Zuko horrified her, and it was likely that would happen on the day of the invasion. She bit her lip as she tried to force her heart rate to slow down. _That's not for a while still. Don't think about that now. Stay focused on Aang._

Momo flew ahead of Appa and scouted nearby areas for Aang. Two hours passed and they received no signs of Aang's whereabouts. Katara and Sokka traded shifts in steering Appa about. Eventually, they came across a Fire Nation blockade in the ocean, signaling they were near land. Appa flew into the safety of the clouds where the men at the blockade couldn't see. As they flew over the blockade, Momo began to chatter excitedly. He swooped down from the clouds, and Sokka guided Appa after him.

As they departed the clouds, the sun began to peek its face out too. The sun shot beams of bright light upon a small strip of land that was home to a small volcano. Momo dove after the shore of the small island, never ceasing to express his enthusiasm. Ashlynn squinted, and as they flew in closer she saw Aang's body collapsed near the water.

"I see Aang!" she shouted, and Katara peered down to where Ashlynn had pointed. She gasped with excitement as she recognized Aang as well. Appa landed gently several feet away, and Katara was the first to leap from his body. She ran after Aang, and collapsed by his side as he began to sit up.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she exclaimed with relief as she flung her arms around Aang. Ashlynn leapt from Appa's back and floated effortlessly to Aang's side. She landed softly on his other side and hugged him as well, instantly comforted with the knowledge that he was safe and sound.

Sokka and Toph came and wrapped their arms about the happy group as well, bringing them in for a needed group hug. Momo curled up in Aang's lap, and Appa nuzzled Aang's head. Aang giggled for the first time in some time in response. After a moment he dropped his smile, and pulled away from the group. "I have so much to do," he said glumly as he averted his gaze to the ocean water.

"I… We know, Aang. And we're here to help you through it," Katara replied tenderly.

"You'll never be rid of us," Ashlynn joked as she sat back and gave Aang a reassuring smile.

"What about the invasion plan?" Aang asked her in response. When she didn't respond he turned to look at Sokka. After all, it _was_ Sokka's idea.

"Don't worry about the invasion plan. We're going to meet up with my Dad and everyone else on the Day of Black Sun," he answered confidently. Aang nodded, and stood up to take a good look of the surrounding area.

"Oh, Aang! Your glider…" Ashlynn gasped as she pulled a dismantled stick of wood out from the water. A single, torn wing jutted out from one side. She sighed as she thought of the irony in that they both lost their staves. She handed it to Aang as she stood up, and thought of a way to apologize for the loss of his staff.

Aang stared down at his glider for a long moment, and then walked to a small hill in the island nearby. "It's alright. It would give away my identity if someone saw it," Aang muttered soberly. He wedged the end of the glider into the small hill, as though it were a flag that represented the part of him he was going to leave behind. "It's better if no one knew I was alive… For now," Aang stated as he joined his companions.

He looked back at his glider one last time, before the nearby lava of the volcano set the staff of the wood ablaze. Within moments the staff disintegrated, and became no more.

He turned around to face his friends, and smiled up at them.

In that moment he realized he was not alone.


End file.
